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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. firm — steady
  3. stock — shares
  4. firm — decided
  5. race — the arms race
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chest — of your body
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. cold — not warm
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chest — a box
  17. cold — an illness
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. firm — a company
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — hurry
  24. sharp — exactly

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