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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: stock · suit · craft · degree · fork · file · ruler · chair

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. chair — a leader
  3. file — a document
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. degree — an amount
  6. craft — a skill
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stock — shares
  12. craft — boats
  13. suit — in cards
  14. degree — temperature
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. file — a line of people
  17. degree — from a university
  18. file — a tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. suit — to fit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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