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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · key · cell · craft · safe · stock · hand · stick

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. key — in music
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. key — the most important part
  18. stock — shares
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cell — in biology
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. stock — goods

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