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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: firm · toast · sharp · race · board · fork · stock · pit

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. race — humankind
  3. sharp — clever
  4. firm — steady
  5. race — a contest
  6. stock — shares
  7. stock — goods
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pit — a hole
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. toast — bread
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pit — in a race
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. board — to get on
  24. race — the arms race

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