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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: bound · vault · stock · current · race · wake · squash · track

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wake — a trail
  4. stock — shares
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stock — goods
  7. bound — certain
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. current — of water
  15. track — a song
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. current — electric
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. vault — a safe
  22. current — happening now
  23. track — a path
  24. race — the arms race

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