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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kid — to tease
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. kid — child
  10. stock — goods
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. date — the fruit
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stock — shares
  17. rest — a break
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. straw — a straw man

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