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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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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: march · stock · stand · kick · chip · bank · race · chest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. race — humankind
  3. chest — a box
  4. chip — for betting
  5. stock — shares
  6. chip — to eat
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. race — a contest
  12. chest — of your body
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stock — goods
  17. stand — to bear
  18. march — the month
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kick — in football
  21. march — music
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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