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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: cabinet · bound · game · land · kid · stock · staff · pop

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pop — soda
  5. bound — obliged
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — to tease
  8. staff — employees
  9. pop — music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. game — a match
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. staff — employees
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stock — shares
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bound — certain
  20. stock — goods
  21. game — wild animals
  22. kid — child
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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