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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: toast · race · rule · stock · roll · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rest — what's left
  6. race — the arms race
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — government
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — shares
  12. race — a contest
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. race — humankind
  15. stock — goods
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. toast — bread
  18. roll — a list

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