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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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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: foot · march · kid · band · chip · kick · stock · safe

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. march — music
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. foot — a measure
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. march — the month
  16. chip — to eat
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chip — for betting
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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