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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: bay · shower · rule · trunk · wind · stock · jam · race

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. race — a contest
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. shower — to wash
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. rule — a law
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stock — shares
  23. race — humankind
  24. rule — government

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