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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.

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: stand · kid · ground · roll · date · stock · drill · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. kid — to tease
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. kid — child
  5. roll — a cake
  6. ground — a position
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. drill — the tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. roll — a list
  19. stock — goods
  20. drill — army training
  21. stock — shares
  22. date — the fruit
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. arm — a part of something

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