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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: stock · race · board · lash · kid · land · racket · bound

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — ground
  3. race — humankind
  4. stock — goods
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. race — the arms race
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. kid — child
  10. board — to get on
  11. land — a country
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. board — a committee
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. race — a contest
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. land — to come down
  22. bound — obliged
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. racket — for tennis

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