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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. staff — employees
  8. content — the amount
  9. land — ground
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. content — happy
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees
  19. craft — boats
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — a country
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — to come down
  24. stock — goods

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