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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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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 · chest · drill · jam · firm · clip · scale · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. firm — decided
  3. chest — a box
  4. stock — shares
  5. clip — for paper
  6. drill — the tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. scale — size or range
  10. drill — a practice
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. scale — in music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. firm — a company
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stock — goods
  20. clip — to cut
  21. drill — army training
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. firm — steady

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