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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.

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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: staff · rule · stock · race · nail · last · can · pound

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rule — a law
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rule — government
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. race — humankind
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. can — a tin
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — shares
  15. last — final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. race — a contest
  18. stock — goods
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. pound — a weight
  24. nail — for a hammer

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