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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: chest · fork · row · ground · scale · stock · firm · staff

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fork — in a road
  6. staff — a stick
  7. firm — a company
  8. firm — steady
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — the earth
  12. staff — employees
  13. firm — decided
  14. stock — goods
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ground — crushed
  18. scale — in music
  19. staff — employees
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. ground — a position
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. fork — a garden tool

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