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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. kid — child
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. stand — to bear
  19. land — a country
  20. wake — a trail
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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