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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: chair · pit · tube · rock · stock · land · bound · ball

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — certain
  12. land — a country
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bound — obliged
  17. land — to come down
  18. rock — music
  19. tube — a container
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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