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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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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: cap · cold · stock · calf · deal · safe · chest · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. stock — shares
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stock — goods
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. deal — to handle
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. cap — a hat
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stock — a soup base

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