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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.

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 · rest · stock · coach · court · hand · bank · rash

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. kid — to tease
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. court — for sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. rash — a series
  7. stock — shares
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — child
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bank — of a river
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. court — of a king
  15. hand — help
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bank — for money
  20. court — of law
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bank — for money
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rash — on the skin

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