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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: race · spell · pit · wake · game · stem · stock · land

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. race — the arms race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. spell — a short time
  6. race — humankind
  7. land — a country
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. stock — shares
  11. pit — a hole
  12. spell — magic
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. game — a match
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — goods
  18. stem — to come from
  19. race — a contest
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. game — wild animals
  22. land — to come down
  23. spell — letters
  24. stem — of a plant

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