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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
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: chair · fork · drill · temple · stock · clip · jam · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. drill — army training
  4. stock — goods
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. scale — in music
  8. stock — shares
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. scale — size or range
  13. clip — a video
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. drill — a practice
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fork — in a road
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fork — to eat with

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