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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 116 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. race — the arms race
  8. field — farmland
  9. rule — a law
  10. field — a subject
  11. current — electric
  12. cap — of ice
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. race — a contest
  15. current — of water
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. field — for sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rule — government
  20. face — to confront
  21. current — happening now
  22. race — humankind
  23. face — part of the head
  24. deal — a big deal

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