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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: rush · race · tear · lie · snap · stock · mate · march

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. snap — to click
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mate — a partner
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lie — to recline
  8. stock — shares
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. race — humankind
  12. march — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tear — from crying
  15. race — a contest
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. tear — from crying
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rush — hurry

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