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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: chip · face · key · race · pit · last · hand · stock

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. key — in music
  3. stock — goods
  4. last — to go on
  5. face — to confront
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. race — a contest
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pit — a hole
  13. face — part of the head
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stock — shares
  16. chip — to eat
  17. face — to point toward
  18. race — humankind
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. key — for a lock
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. key — the most important part
  23. race — the arms race
  24. hand — help

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