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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: cell · safe · stock · lie · stand · chest · clip · roll

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. roll — a list
  3. clip — a video
  4. stock — goods
  5. chest — of your body
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. lie — to recline
  8. clip — for paper
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. chest — a box
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. roll — a cake
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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