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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: ball · mouse · row · stand · net · sharp · stock · race

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. race — the arms race
  8. stock — goods
  9. race — humankind
  10. net — after costs
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stand — to bear
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — in sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. sharp — clever
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ball — a dance
  23. row — a line
  24. ball — a great time

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