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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 120 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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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: kid · chip · cell · stand · hide · stock · bowl · bound

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stock — shares
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. bound — tied together
  7. kid — to tease
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bound — certain
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cell — a phone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kid — child
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. bowl — a football final

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