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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: pop · toast · squash · kid · cell · lean · kick · stock

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lean — thin
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stock — goods
  7. toast — bread
  8. kick — in football
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cell — in biology
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. pop — to visit
  13. squash — the sport
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pop — music
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pop — soda
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lean — to bend
  21. squash — to crush
  22. stock — shares
  23. kid — child
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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