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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spring — a coil
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stock — goods
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stock — shares
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ground — a position
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. ground — the earth
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. bound — obliged
  15. ground — crushed
  16. kid — child
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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