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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. clip — a video
  6. pass — a permit
  7. current — electric
  8. wind — moving air
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stock — goods
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. current — happening now
  18. wind — moving air
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. current — of water
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. clip — to cut

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