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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: rash · stock · stand · clip · race · net · pass · tear

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. race — humankind
  4. net — for catching
  5. clip — to cut
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — a contest
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. net — in sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. stand — to bear
  19. net — after costs
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stock — shares
  23. clip — a video
  24. stand — on your feet

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