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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: stock · race · board · bound · suit · last · squash · rash

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stock — goods
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — shares
  6. bound — tied together
  7. last — to go on
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. suit — in cards
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. board — to get on
  14. bound — obliged
  15. race — humankind
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. race — a contest
  18. suit — clothes
  19. bound — certain
  20. last — finally
  21. rash — a series
  22. suit — to fit
  23. last — final
  24. board — a flat piece

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