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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: nail · vault · field · stock · row · ground · race · rule

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. row — to paddle
  3. field — for sport
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ground — a position
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. field — a subject
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rule — government
  10. ground — the earth
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. stock — goods
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rule — a law
  16. race — the arms race
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — farmland
  21. stock — shares
  22. vault — a safe
  23. row — a line
  24. race — a contest

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