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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: cell · stock · jam · pit · object · race · date · ball

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. ball — a dance
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. race — a contest
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. object — a thing
  10. stock — goods
  11. object — to protest
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. date — the fruit
  15. ball — a great time
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. object — an aim
  21. pit — in a race
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. cell — in a prison

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