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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
468
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 · pit · arm · press · chair · march · can · chip

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. press — a publisher
  3. can — a tin
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. can — to be able to
  7. march — the month
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stock — goods
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. march — music
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pit — a hole
  15. chip — to eat
  16. press — to push
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — shares
  19. chip — for betting
  20. press — newspapers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stock — a soup base

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