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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: leaves · stock · chip · chair · fork · scale · rule · capital

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chip — for betting
  9. rule — government
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rule — a law
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stock — goods
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stock — shares
  20. scale — size or range
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. fork — in a road
  24. scale — for weighing

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