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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: rash · cold · hand · stock · suit · straw · nail · staff

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  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. suit — to fit
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. staff — a stick
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. staff — employees
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. staff — employees
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. hand — help
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. suit — in cards
  19. stock — shares
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cold — not warm
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. suit — clothes
  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