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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: kid · chair · stock · nail · last · track · rule · bank

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. track — a song
  3. bank — for money
  4. last — finally
  5. bank — of a river
  6. rule — government
  7. track — to keep track
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rule — a law
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. kid — to tease
  13. last — to go on
  14. bank — for money
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. stock — shares
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stock — goods
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chair — a leader
  22. track — a path
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. last — final

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