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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: stock · kid · charge · bound · hide · shower · chest · pitcher

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — certain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. shower — rain
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stock — goods
  9. chest — of your body
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. stock — shares
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — of your body
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. bound — tied together
  21. charge — in control
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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