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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 · track · clip · pit · deal · stock · current · nail

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. track — a path
  3. race — humankind
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. race — a contest
  6. track — to keep track
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. clip — for paper
  11. current — electric
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. clip — a video
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. track — a song
  19. current — happening now
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. race — the arms race
  22. clip — to cut
  23. deal — to handle
  24. current — of water

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