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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. snap — to click
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. cap — of ice
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — a hat
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rush — hurry
  16. firm — steady
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. firm — decided
  20. cold — not warm
  21. firm — a company
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cell — in biology

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