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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 116 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: coach · rash · object · kid · firm · net · stock · fine

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. net — in sport
  3. fine — all right
  4. object — an aim
  5. kid — child
  6. firm — steady
  7. stock — shares
  8. firm — decided
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stock — goods
  11. firm — a company
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rash — hasty
  14. net — for catching
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — a series
  19. net — after costs
  20. object — to protest
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. object — a thing

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