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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: bat · toast · stock · rule · race · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. race — humankind
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stock — shares
  5. rule — a law
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. staff — a stick
  11. rule — government
  12. toast — bread
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. race — a contest
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stock — goods

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