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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 116 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 · trunk · land · ball · stock · pound · fine · can

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. land — to come down
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ball — a dance
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pound — a weight
  8. can — to be able to
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. can — a tin
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stock — goods
  15. can — a tin
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. race — a contest
  19. stock — shares
  20. race — humankind
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. stock — a soup base

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