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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 116 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 · bowl · last · march · swing · bank · stock · chair

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. march — music
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. march — the month
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. last — final
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bank — for money
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stock — goods
  14. race — humankind
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — to go on
  17. stock — shares
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bank — for money
  20. last — finally
  21. race — a contest
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. march — the month

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