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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — a line
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stock — goods
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stock — shares
  13. chip — to eat
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. prune — to trim
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. prune — to trim
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. kick — in football
  24. row — to paddle

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