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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cell · bat · leaves · sharp · chair · calf · stock · stand

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cell — a phone
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. stock — shares
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stock — goods
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bat — for baseball

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