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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bear · date · board · field · race · roll · stock · toast

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. stock — goods
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. field — farmland
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stock — shares
  7. board — a committee
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. race — humankind
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. toast — bread
  16. bear — the animal
  17. date — the fruit
  18. field — a subject
  19. board — to get on
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bear — the animal
  22. roll — a cake
  23. field — for sport
  24. roll — on a roll

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