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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stock — goods
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. rash — hasty
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. stock — shares
  19. chip — for betting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. rash — a series
  24. safe — a strongbox

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