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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — to go on
  4. mark — a trace
  5. last — finally
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pound — a weight
  9. suit — to fit
  10. stock — goods
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. shower — to wash
  15. stock — shares
  16. shower — rain
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. last — final
  23. mark — a grade
  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