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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: race · stock · root · spell · fall · snap · swing · bowl

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. spell — letters
  3. fall — the season
  4. swing — music
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. snap — to click
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fall — to drop
  10. race — humankind
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. root — of a plant
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — magic
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. race — a contest
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. swing — to play on
  22. race — the arms race
  23. root — of a word
  24. spell — a short 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