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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: kid · cap · stock · tear · key · stand · foot · mug

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. kid — to tease
  3. tear — from crying
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. mug — to rob
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kid — child
  9. stock — shares
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. key — in music
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. stock — goods
  16. foot — a measure
  17. cap — of ice
  18. mug — a face
  19. tear — to rip
  20. key — the most important part
  21. mug — a cup
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cap — a lid
  24. tear — from crying

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