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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 · fan · fine · chair · stock · pound · sharp · track

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stock — shares
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stock — goods
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. track — a song
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. pound — for dogs

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