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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: stock · cabinet · net · race · kick · track · saw · kid

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. track — to keep track
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stock — goods
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. net — in sport
  7. track — a song
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. net — after costs
  13. kid — child
  14. race — humankind
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kick — in football
  18. track — a path
  19. stock — shares
  20. saw — the tool
  21. net — for catching
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cabinet — ministers

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