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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: race · bat · cabinet · kick · safe · wind · sharp · stock

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. race — humankind
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wind — moving air
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. race — a contest
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stock — shares
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wind — moving air
  16. race — the arms race
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stock — goods
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. safe — a strongbox

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