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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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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: rush · stock · nail · ball · rash · hand · board · squash

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rash — hasty
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rush — hurry
  7. stock — shares
  8. hand — in cards
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stock — goods
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. board — a committee
  13. hand — help
  14. rash — a series
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. board — to get on
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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