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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 · rock · hide · key · leaves · chair · bound · club

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bound — certain
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rock — a stone
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stock — goods
  10. rock — music
  11. club — a group
  12. key — in music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bound — tied together
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bound — obliged
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. hide — to keep secret

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