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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: club · staff · wind · cell · race · plane · racket · stock

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. wind — moving air
  3. staff — a stick
  4. race — humankind
  5. cell — in biology
  6. staff — employees
  7. plane — a tool
  8. race — a contest
  9. stock — shares
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. club — a group
  16. cell — a phone
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — for dancing
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. club — for golf
  24. staff — employees

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