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

Word bank: wound · file · wind · pit · pass · race · stock · rule

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — goods
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. stock — shares
  8. file — a tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rule — a law
  11. race — humankind
  12. rule — government
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wind — moving air
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. file — a document
  22. race — a contest
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pass — to succeed

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