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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.

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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mug — a face
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. can — to be able to
  5. last — finally
  6. stock — goods
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stock — shares
  11. mug — to rob
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — to go on
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mug — a cup
  21. can — a tin
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. can — a tin

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