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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · trunk · bowl · fan · foot · straw · file · chair

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. file — a line of people
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. stock — shares
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. file — a tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stock — goods
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. foot — a measure
  20. file — a document
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. trunk — of a tree

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