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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 116 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: pit · cell · race · stock · snap · fine · cold · firm

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cell — in biology
  4. firm — a company
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pit — a hole
  7. firm — decided
  8. cell — a phone
  9. firm — steady
  10. race — a contest
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stock — goods
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. snap — to click
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fine — all right
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. race — humankind

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