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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: foot · lean · present · straw · chair · charge · stock · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. charge — a price
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. present — a gift
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lean — to bend
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. present — there
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. charge — in control
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. stock — goods
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. present — the time now
  22. charge — electricity
  23. lean — thin
  24. straw — a straw man

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