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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. tear — to rip
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — shares
  12. degree — temperature
  13. board — a committee
  14. degree — an amount
  15. stock — goods
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. degree — from a university
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. race — a contest
  21. board — to get on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitch — a sports field

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