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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: field · roll · net · race · stock · fine · snap · squash

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fine — high quality
  4. squash — to crush
  5. race — the arms race
  6. roll — a list
  7. field — farmland
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stock — shares
  10. race — a contest
  11. stock — goods
  12. net — for catching
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. net — in sport
  16. field — for sport
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. race — humankind
  20. roll — a cake
  21. net — after costs
  22. squash — the sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. field — a subject

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