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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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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: straw · stock · track · race · cell · pit

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  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. race — a contest
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. track — a song
  5. pit — in a race
  6. track — to keep track
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stock — shares
  10. pit — a hole
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. track — a path
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. race — the arms race
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. race — humankind
  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