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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: chair · track · stock · rash · rock · rush · board · face

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rock — music
  4. face — to confront
  5. track — a path
  6. board — to get on
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rash — a series
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — a leader
  19. board — a committee
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rock — a stone
  24. face — part of the head

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