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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 · hide · chip · cold · pound · bore · stock · present

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. present — there
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. present — the time now
  6. stock — shares
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bore — to tire
  10. present — a gift
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pound — a weight
  16. stock — goods
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cold — an illness
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — not warm

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