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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: rash · date · rest · file · squash · straw · lean · stock

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. file — a tool
  3. rest — what's left
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. squash — the sport
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. lean — to bend
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rest — a break
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lean — thin
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. file — a document
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — shares
  20. date — the fruit
  21. squash — to crush
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rash — a series

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