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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: bank · rock · rest · last · game · chest · deal · stock

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — to go on
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. last — final
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bank — of a river
  9. deal — to handle
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. last — finally
  14. bank — for money
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stock — shares
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bank — for money
  21. chest — a box
  22. stock — goods
  23. game — wild animals
  24. rock — to move gently

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