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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: race · patient · squash · sharp · firm · staff · rock · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. squash — to crush
  5. firm — a company
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — clever
  8. race — a contest
  9. staff — employees
  10. squash — the sport
  11. staff — a stick
  12. race — the arms race
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. stock — goods
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rock — music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rock — a stone
  22. race — humankind
  23. stock — shares
  24. staff — employees

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