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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · game · stock · rock · shower · race · prune · mug

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. race — the arms race
  3. prune — to trim
  4. race — a contest
  5. prune — to trim
  6. game — wild animals
  7. race — humankind
  8. stock — goods
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mug — a cup
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mug — a face
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stock — shares
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rock — music
  21. mug — to rob
  22. shower — rain
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stock — a soup base

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