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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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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: last · stock · pitch · ruler · snap · rock · race · mine

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rock — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stock — goods
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rock — a stone
  11. last — to go on
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. last — final
  14. mine — for digging
  15. race — humankind
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. stock — shares
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. last — finally
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. race — a contest

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