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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hand — in cards
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. race — humankind
  5. stock — goods
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. race — a contest
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. hand — help
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — to recline
  17. race — the arms race
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. band — a ring
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. band — a music group
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. lie — an untruth

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