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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: row · roll · kid · squash · bank · bat · stock · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. kid — child
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. row — a line
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bank — for money
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bank — of a river
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — to crush
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kid — to tease
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. roll — a cake
  24. bat — the animal

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