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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 116 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: cabinet · tube · bound · stock · rock · game · chair · kick

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bound — obliged
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. stock — shares
  7. tube — a container
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stock — goods
  11. rock — a stone
  12. kick — in football
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bound — certain
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chair — a leader
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. game — a match
  21. rock — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rock — to move gently

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