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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 · chip · rash · stock · bay · jam · press · band

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. race — a contest
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stock — shares
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. race — humankind
  11. press — a publisher
  12. race — the arms race
  13. band — a music group
  14. stock — goods
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. band — a ring
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. press — to push
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. press — newspapers

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