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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rock — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. file — a document
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. stock — goods
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kid — child
  17. file — a line of people
  18. kick — in football
  19. rock — a stone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rash — a series
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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