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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: shower · fan · stock · rash · key · stick · row · cabinet

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. shower — rain
  5. stock — goods
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. stock — shares
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. key — in music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. row — a line
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. key — the most important part
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rash — hasty
  23. key — for a lock
  24. row — to paddle

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