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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: pound · stick · arm · march · race · stock · safe · saw

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pound — a weight
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stock — shares
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. race — a contest
  10. stock — goods
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. race — humankind
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. march — music
  24. race — the arms race

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