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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 · pop · bat · nail · ball · stock · fan · straw

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stock — shares
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — soda
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stock — goods
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ball — a dance
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pop — music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bat — the animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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