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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: stock · kid · safe · roll · pop · net · pass · ground

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kid — child
  5. net — after costs
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. net — in sport
  9. pop — soda
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stock — goods
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ground — a position
  16. net — for catching
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — music
  22. stock — shares
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — a strongbox

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