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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rash — a series
  7. stock — goods
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. field — a subject
  10. kick — in football
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rash — hasty
  13. field — farmland
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. object — an aim
  17. kid — child
  18. object — to protest
  19. cue — a signal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. field — for sport
  24. saw — the tool

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