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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 · nail · stock · wind · racket · last · can · pitch

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. race — a contest
  3. last — final
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. can — a tin
  10. last — finally
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — to be able to
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pitch — completely
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. last — to go on
  19. wind — moving air
  20. race — humankind
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stock — shares
  24. nail — for a hammer

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