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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: chair · chest · stock · dip · track · cell · court · calf

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. dip — to sink
  5. court — for sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chest — of your body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chair — a leader
  11. court — of law
  12. stock — shares
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. track — to keep track
  15. court — of a king
  16. stock — goods
  17. track — a song
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cell — in biology
  20. chest — a box
  21. track — a path
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. calf — of the leg

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