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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: bear · kid · arm · cabinet · file · pound · stock · club

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bear — the animal
  5. club — a group
  6. kid — child
  7. club — for dancing
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pound — a weight
  10. stock — shares
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stock — goods
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. club — for golf
  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