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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: chest · bear · chair · mouse · suit · cap · stock · file

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. file — a tool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. suit — in cards
  11. chest — of your body
  12. suit — to fit
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bear — the animal
  17. suit — clothes
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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