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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 · pop · jam · chest · nail · hide · pitcher · stock

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. pop — music
  5. stock — goods
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chest — of your body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chest — a box
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. chest — of your body
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. stock — shares
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pop — soda

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