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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. stock — goods
  3. land — to come down
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. rest — a break
  9. fork — in a road
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. last — finally
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stock — shares

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