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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. kid — child
  8. object — a thing
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. can — a tin
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. object — to protest
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. stock — goods
  22. can — a tin
  23. object — an aim
  24. stock — shares

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