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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: lash · deal · stock · field · cue · bat · kid · bore

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stock — shares
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bore — to tire
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stock — goods
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cue — a hint
  15. field — farmland
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. field — for sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. field — a subject
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cue — a signal
  24. deal — to handle

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