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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: mine · mug · lie · stock · rush · club · kid · chest

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stock — goods
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. kid — child
  12. mug — a cup
  13. stock — shares
  14. club — for golf
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. club — a group
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mug — a face
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. club — for dancing

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