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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — a country
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wound — an injury
  6. race — the arms race
  7. stock — goods
  8. race — a contest
  9. land — to come down
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. stock — shares
  13. capital — money
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. land — ground
  17. tube — a container
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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