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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kid — child
  5. stock — shares
  6. roll — a list
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kid — to tease
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stock — goods
  18. racket — for tennis

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