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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: toast · wind · bear · race · ball · pit · stock · rock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. race — a contest
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. race — humankind
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. ball — a dance
  13. toast — bread
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wind — moving air
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. stock — goods
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bear — the animal
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bear — to put up with

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