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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: nail · arm · face · mug · stock · rash · squash · kick

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rash — a series
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — goods
  6. face — to point toward
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kick — in football
  10. mug — a face
  11. rash — hasty
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. face — to confront
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. squash — to crush
  20. face — part of the head
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  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