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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. stock — goods
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fall — to drop
  5. race — a contest
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. race — humankind
  9. wind — moving air
  10. clip — a video
  11. fall — to drop
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wind — moving air
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. fall — the season
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stock — shares
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. foot — a measure
  23. clip — to cut
  24. racket — for tennis

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