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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: key · face · fine · rash · kid · hand · can · stock

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rash — a series
  8. key — the most important part
  9. face — part of the head
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. hand — in cards
  14. key — in music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stock — goods
  17. fine — all right
  18. face — to confront
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — hasty
  21. kid — child
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stock — shares
  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