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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: stock · pit · racket · chair · leaves · content · row · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pit — in a race
  5. row — to paddle
  6. stock — shares
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. content — the amount
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. pit — a hole
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. content — happy
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stock — goods

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