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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: staff · cabinet · rule · race · rash · fork · temple · stock

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. stock — goods
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. staff — employees
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rule — government
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — a series
  15. stock — shares
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. race — humankind
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. staff — a stick
  21. race — a contest
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rule — a law

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