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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: foot · chip · mug · present · stock · patient · race · staff

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. mug — a face
  3. present — the time now
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. race — the arms race
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. present — a gift
  10. mug — a cup
  11. present — there
  12. staff — employees
  13. race — humankind
  14. mug — to rob
  15. chip — to eat
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. stock — goods
  20. race — a contest
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — for betting

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