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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: stock · chair · rash · nail · hand · ball · club · pitch

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. club — a group
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. club — for golf
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rash — a series
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hand — help
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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