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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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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: dip · stock · file · kid · wake · safe · cold · cabinet

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. dip — to sink
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. stock — goods
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cold — an illness
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wake — a trail
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. cold — not warm
  16. kid — child
  17. stock — shares
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. file — a tool
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stock — a soup base

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