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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: cold · firm · stock · ground · race · pass · roll · tube

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. firm — decided
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pass — a permit
  10. race — a contest
  11. cold — an illness
  12. tube — a container
  13. stock — shares
  14. ground — a position
  15. firm — a company
  16. cold — not warm
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. roll — a list
  23. race — humankind
  24. firm — steady

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