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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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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 · safe · stock · jam · present · arm · tear · row

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. present — a gift
  4. chair — a leader
  5. row — a line
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. tear — to rip
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. present — the time now
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tear — from crying
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. present — there
  22. row — to paddle
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. stock — shares

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