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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · stock · bay · kid · shower · hand · content · press

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hand — in cards
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. content — the amount
  14. press — newspapers
  15. content — happy
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rash — hasty
  18. press — to push
  19. rash — a series
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. kid — to tease
  23. shower — rain
  24. content — videos and posts

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