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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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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: chair · stick · cell · perch · pit · stock

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cell — in a prison

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