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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: squash · game · race · firm · club · wave · track · stock

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stock — shares
  4. club — a group
  5. stock — goods
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. squash — to crush
  11. race — humankind
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. firm — decided
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. track — a path
  16. race — the arms race
  17. club — for golf
  18. firm — a company
  19. race — a contest
  20. track — a song
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. track — to keep track

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