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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 · content · wake · stock · last · prune · ball · pitcher

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. race — humankind
  3. last — finally
  4. race — a contest
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — goods
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. last — final
  13. content — happy
  14. prune — to trim
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. stock — shares
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. race — the arms race
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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