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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: firm · march · temple · root · stock · race · charge · wake

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. charge — in control
  6. firm — decided
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — goods
  9. wake — a trail
  10. charge — a price
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. root — of a word
  13. firm — steady
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. root — the cause
  16. firm — a company
  17. charge — electricity
  18. race — humankind
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. race — the arms race
  23. root — of a plant
  24. march — music

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