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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 120 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: current · chair · stock · capital · chest · bore · object · hide

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. object — a thing
  2. capital — money
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. current — electric
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stock — goods
  10. capital — a city
  11. chair — a leader
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. current — of water
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. chest — of your body
  18. object — an aim
  19. current — happening now
  20. stock — shares
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. object — to protest
  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