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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: deal · stock · craft · row · bulb · chair · cell · rule

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — goods
  4. cell — in biology
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rule — government
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. row — a line
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. row — to paddle
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — a law
  19. bulb — for light
  20. deal — to handle
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cell — a phone
  24. deal — an agreement

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