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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 · stock · field · club · mug · board · suit · perch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. club — a group
  3. suit — to fit
  4. stock — goods
  5. mug — to rob
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. suit — in cards
  8. field — farmland
  9. mug — a cup
  10. board — to get on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. club — for dancing
  13. board — a committee
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. club — for golf
  16. stock — shares
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mug — a face
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. race — humankind
  22. field — for sport
  23. race — a contest
  24. suit — clothes

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