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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: bark · kid · safe · squash · stock · bass · pass · game

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stock — goods
  3. kid — child
  4. bark — to shout
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stock — shares
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. game — wild animals
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bass — the fish
  19. game — a match
  20. squash — to crush
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — a permit

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