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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · land · spring · stock · rest · kid · present

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. spring — of water
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. land — to come down
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — child
  12. stock — goods
  13. present — there
  14. stock — shares
  15. land — ground
  16. fine — all right
  17. land — a country
  18. spring — a coil
  19. present — a gift
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. spring — the season
  24. present — the time now

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