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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 · stock · nail · mine · bat · foot · drill · chip

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stock — goods
  5. race — humankind
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. race — the arms race
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. race — a contest
  17. drill — army training
  18. foot — a measure
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stock — shares
  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