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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: stock · chair · cabinet · rule · toast · pit

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. pit — a hole
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pit — in a race
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chair — a leader
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rule — government
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rule — a law
  18. toast — bread

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