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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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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: mug · bat · field · stock · can · race · bank · firm

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. field — for sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bank — for money
  5. can — to be able to
  6. race — a contest
  7. can — a tin
  8. bank — of a river
  9. race — the arms race
  10. firm — steady
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. race — humankind
  13. firm — decided
  14. can — a tin
  15. stock — goods
  16. firm — a company
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bank — for money
  22. stock — shares
  23. field — farmland
  24. mug — to rob

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