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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: stock · file · foot · cell · net · coach · mouse · chair

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. net — for catching
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stock — goods
  7. net — after costs
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. net — in sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. file — a tool
  15. cell — a phone
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. file — a document
  23. cell — in biology
  24. coach — a trainer

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