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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 120 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: race · stock · object · face · foot · degree · drill · saw

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stock — goods
  3. saw — the tool
  4. degree — from a university
  5. race — the arms race
  6. face — to confront
  7. drill — army training
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. object — to protest
  13. drill — the tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. degree — an amount
  17. saw — the tool
  18. race — humankind
  19. degree — temperature
  20. foot — a measure
  21. object — a thing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. stock — shares
  24. race — a contest

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