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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: bat · fine · safe · mine · swing · lash · stock · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. stock — goods
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fine — all right
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fine — high quality
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. swing — to play on
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stock — shares
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bat — the animal
  24. swing — music

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