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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: last · stock · mug · hand · firm · ball · pop · kid

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. last — final
  3. pop — soda
  4. firm — a company
  5. mug — to rob
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — help
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. ball — a dance
  12. last — finally
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. firm — steady
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mug — a face
  18. firm — decided
  19. stock — shares
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pop — music
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pop — to visit
  24. kid — child

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