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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stock · lash · roll · deal · pitcher · rock · kid · mine

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kid — child
  9. rock — music
  10. roll — a list
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. rock — a stone

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