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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: cabinet · hand · march · rush · stock · rest · chair · cap

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. march — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. march — the month
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. march — the month
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rest — a break
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stock — shares
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rest — what's left

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