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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: pitcher · rest · stock · race · current · coach · hand · lash

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rest — a break
  4. stock — shares
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. current — of water
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. hand — help
  9. rest — what's left
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. current — electric
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. current — happening now
  15. stock — goods
  16. race — humankind
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. race — a contest
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stock — a soup base

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