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

Word bank: deal · stock · spring · kid · bay · arm · content · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. content — the amount
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. kid — child
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. deal — to handle
  10. stock — shares
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. kid — to tease
  19. spring — the season
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. deal — a big deal

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