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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: clip · stand · ruler · chip · stock · cabinet · object · cold

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cold — not warm
  5. clip — a video
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. object — an aim
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stock — shares
  12. object — to protest
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stock — goods
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — to cut
  21. chip — for betting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. chip — in a computer

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