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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: file · cold · rash · stock · safe · shower · present · stick

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. present — a gift
  3. stock — goods
  4. present — there
  5. shower — rain
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a tool
  11. cold — an illness
  12. file — a document
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. present — the time now
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. file — a line of people
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rash — a series
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. safe — a strongbox

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