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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: bowl · field · mine · coach · stock · row · key · toast

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. key — in music
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. row — a line
  7. field — a subject
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stock — goods
  13. field — for sport
  14. toast — bread
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. key — for a lock
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. row — to paddle
  23. field — farmland
  24. mine — belonging to me

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