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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 116 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: game · club · kid · stock · fork · can · pound · pit

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pound — a weight
  3. can — a tin
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. stock — goods
  7. pit — in a race
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. club — for golf
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stock — shares
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kid — child
  19. game — wild animals
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — a match
  23. club — a group
  24. can — a tin

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