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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 116 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: chip · scale · chair · stock · rock · craft · tube · cap

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. scale — size or range
  3. rock — a stone
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. chip — for betting
  6. craft — boats
  7. stock — shares
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cap — a lid
  11. tube — a container
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. rock — music
  15. craft — a skill
  16. chip — to eat
  17. stock — goods
  18. cap — of ice
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chair — to sit on

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