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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 · bass · stick · drill · race · court · kick · stock

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. firm — a company
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. drill — a practice
  7. firm — decided
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. court — for sport
  13. race — the arms race
  14. firm — steady
  15. drill — army training
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — the tool
  18. kick — in football
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. race — humankind
  21. court — of a king
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — low music
  24. race — a contest

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