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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 · bowl · kid · jam · rock · wake · chip · chest

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. kid — to tease
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. chest — a box
  10. stock — goods
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. stock — shares
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chip — for betting
  17. rock — music
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. kid — child
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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