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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · stock · kid · pop · lash · bat · cabinet · hide

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stock — shares
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. kid — child
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stock — goods
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stock — a soup base

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