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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 124 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 · stock · rash · nail · deal · net · chest · last

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. net — in sport
  3. last — to go on
  4. stock — shares
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — hasty
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — finally
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stock — goods
  11. last — final
  12. net — for catching
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. net — after costs
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rash — a series
  19. chest — a box
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. deal — to handle
  22. staff — employees
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. deal — a big deal

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