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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. bank — for money
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. drill — army training
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. swing — music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stock — shares
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bank — for money
  19. swing — in golf
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. drill — the tool
  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