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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 · fan · stock · row · drill · firm · cabinet · season

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. stock — goods
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. firm — a company
  10. race — a contest
  11. row — to paddle
  12. firm — steady
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. race — the arms race
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. drill — the tool
  19. firm — decided
  20. race — humankind
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. stock — shares

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