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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: foot · hide · stock · land · kid · shower · club · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. shower — rain
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. club — a group
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — to tease
  10. club — for golf
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. shower — to wash
  15. kid — child
  16. land — ground
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. club — for dancing
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. foot — a measure
  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