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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: rash · court · drill · stock · bear · mark · staff · cold

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rash — a series
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stock — goods
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stock — shares
  12. court — of a king
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — of law
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. drill — army training
  17. court — for sport
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bear — the animal
  22. staff — a stick
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bear — to put up with

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