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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: can · fan · land · chip · perch · chest · capital · stock

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stock — shares
  3. capital — money
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. can — a tin
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — to eat
  8. land — a country
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — ground
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — a box
  14. chip — for betting
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. capital — a city
  22. chest — of your body
  23. land — to come down
  24. can — to be able to

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