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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. stock — shares
  7. ground — a position
  8. race — humankind
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. race — a contest
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fall — to drop
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fall — to drop
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. fall — the season
  20. ground — crushed
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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