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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 124 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rock — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bound — certain
  7. stock — goods
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stock — shares
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. race — a contest
  15. bound — obliged
  16. tear — to rip
  17. band — a ring
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. band — a music group
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rock — a stone
  24. stock — a soup base

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