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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
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: stock · rash · cap · date · season · wind · chest · suit

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stock — shares
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — of ice
  5. suit — in cards
  6. stock — goods
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rash — hasty
  11. season — in sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cap — a lid
  15. date — the fruit
  16. suit — to fit
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chest — of your body
  19. suit — clothes
  20. season — of the year
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. season — to add flavour

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