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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: row · chair · chest · fan · stock · bay · press · court

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. court — of law
  7. row — a line
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stock — goods
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. court — of a king
  12. chest — a box
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. press — to push
  19. stock — shares
  20. row — to paddle
  21. press — newspapers
  22. press — a publisher
  23. court — for sport
  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