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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. net — after costs
  3. bank — of a river
  4. net — for catching
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bank — for money
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. race — the arms race
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. net — in sport
  14. stock — shares
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. content — the amount
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stock — goods
  22. content — happy
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bank — for money

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