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

Word bank: chest · hand · stand · stock · last · ruler · coach · roll

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — finally
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stand — to bear
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — a cake
  19. hand — help
  20. stock — shares
  21. roll — a list
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stand — on your feet

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