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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — for catching
  8. can — a tin
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bear — the animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stock — shares
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. can — a tin
  20. bear — the animal
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. game — a match

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