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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.

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: rash · cold · field · board · rule · rock · chair · stock

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rock — a stone
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. rule — a law
  6. rock — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. field — for sport
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rash — hasty
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. stock — shares
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. stock — goods
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rash — a series
  24. chair — a leader

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