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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 120 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 · nail · rule · mug · rash · swing · straw · stock

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. swing — in golf
  4. rule — a law
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. field — farmland
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. swing — to play on
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. swing — music
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stock — goods
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. rash — hasty
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. field — a subject
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — for sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. nail — for a hammer

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