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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 · file · bay · degree · bank · swing · stock · jam

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. degree — an amount
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. degree — temperature
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bank — for money
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stock — goods
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. swing — music
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a tool
  20. degree — from a university
  21. file — a document
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — a leader

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