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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: stock · chip · file · snap · stand · rule · chair · spring

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rule — a law
  3. spring — of water
  4. snap — to click
  5. chair — a leader
  6. rule — government
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. chip — for betting
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stock — shares
  16. chip — to eat
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. spring — a coil
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. file — a tool
  24. spring — the season

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