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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · scale · mine · date · chip · jam · chair · fall

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fall — to drop
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — in music
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fall — the season
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stock — shares
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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