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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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Word bank
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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: kid · race · craft · object · cue · stock

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. kid — to tease
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cue — for pool
  5. kid — child
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. race — a contest
  10. stock — goods
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. object — a thing
  14. craft — boats
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. craft — a skill
  17. stock — shares
  18. object — to protest

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