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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rash — a series
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — goods
  8. pit — in a race
  9. kid — child
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. band — a music group
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. band — a ring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. rash — hasty

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