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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 120 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: chip · race · rest · pitcher · fall · band · cue · stock

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. chip — to eat
  4. band — a music group
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. race — humankind
  12. band — a ring
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fall — the season
  15. stock — goods
  16. race — the arms race
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cue — for pool
  20. chip — for betting
  21. rest — what's left
  22. race — a contest
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cue — a hint

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