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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 120 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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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: kid · mark · kick · saw · land · lie · club · stock

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. club — a group
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. club — for dancing
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stock — goods
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — child
  13. saw — the tool
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. stock — shares
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mark — a trace
  18. kick — in football
  19. mark — a grade
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. land — to come down

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