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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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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. kid — child
  6. ball — a dance
  7. cap — of ice
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. firm — a company
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kick — in football
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. stock — goods
  16. present — the time now
  17. firm — decided
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kid — to tease
  22. firm — steady
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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