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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 116 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: game · wind · clip · racket · stock · pass · race · firm

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — shares
  4. clip — for paper
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — a video
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. race — humankind
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. firm — steady
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. stock — goods
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. race — a contest
  23. clip — to cut
  24. race — the arms race

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