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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: staff · last · mate · bore · pit · fork · stock · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. stock — goods
  3. staff — employees
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. staff — a stick
  10. race — a contest
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mate — a friend
  13. last — to go on
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. race — humankind
  19. last — final
  20. stock — shares
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mate — to breed
  24. staff — employees

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