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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 · mug · chest · dip · clip · foot · chair · ruler

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mug — to rob
  13. stock — goods
  14. mug — a face
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stock — shares
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. mug — a cup
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. dip — to sink
  24. foot — part of the body

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