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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
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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: content · fan · mine · stock · club · jam · chest · chair

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stock — goods
  4. content — happy
  5. club — for golf
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chest — a box
  9. chair — a leader
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chest — of your body
  12. club — a group
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stock — shares
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — for digging
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. chair — to sit on

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