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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: racket · stock · cue · race · wind · bowl · mine · cabinet

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cue — a hint
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. race — humankind
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wind — moving air
  12. race — a contest
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stock — shares
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wind — moving air

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