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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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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: rule · bowl · stock · rash · drill · straw · snap · bank

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — a law
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. drill — army training
  12. snap — to click
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bank — for money
  19. stock — goods
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. stock — shares
  23. bank — of a river
  24. straw — dry grass

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