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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. race — a contest
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. rash — hasty
  6. race — humankind
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chest — a box
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. chest — of your body
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rash — a series
  14. stock — shares
  15. deal — to handle
  16. chip — to eat
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stock — goods
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com