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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: mug · clip · stock · chair · season · club · wound · stand

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. club — for golf
  8. season — of the year
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — goods
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. club — a group
  21. mug — a face
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. clip — to cut

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