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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 · stock · fan · foot · game · season · cabinet · spell

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. foot — the bottom
  2. game — wild animals
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spell — magic
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — letters
  9. season — in sport
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — a short time
  12. foot — a measure
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. season — of the year
  21. game — a match
  22. kid — child
  23. game — a kind of play
  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