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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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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: sharp · race · ruler · pound · stock · game · file · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. stock — goods
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. race — humankind
  7. club — a group
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. race — the arms race
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pound — a weight
  15. club — for dancing
  16. race — a contest
  17. file — a tool
  18. game — a match
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. stock — shares
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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