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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 120 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 · racket · stock · ball · shower · rock · drill · ground

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. drill — army training
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — shares
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — humankind
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. race — the arms race
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ground — a position
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. race — a contest
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rock — music
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rock — a stone

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