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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: race · stock · bowl · chest · chair · field · mark · charge

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stock — goods
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. field — farmland
  13. mark — a grade
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chest — of your body
  16. charge — a price
  17. field — for sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. charge — electricity
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. field — a subject
  23. charge — in control
  24. chair — a leader

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