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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · mark · race · press · kid · stock

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. press — to push
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. press — newspapers
  7. race — the arms race
  8. mark — a grade
  9. kid — child
  10. stock — goods
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. stock — shares
  16. race — humankind
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mark — a trace

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