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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.

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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: chair · snap · stock · chest · wind · rock · stand · net

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. chest — a box
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stock — goods
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rock — music
  13. net — for catching
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stock — shares
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wind — moving air
  18. snap — to click
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rock — a stone
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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