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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: bulb · suit · chair · mug · cold · roll · saw · stock

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stock — goods
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. suit — in cards
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — a list
  17. cold — not warm
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. suit — to fit
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cold — an illness
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mug — to rob
  24. stock — shares

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