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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: date · sharp · stock · can · patient · key · kid · cabinet

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. can — a tin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stock — goods
  9. key — in music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. kid — child
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. key — for a lock
  16. stock — shares
  17. can — a tin
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. key — the most important part
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. sharp — clever

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