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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: coach · rest · land · ball · stock · roll · fine · bulb

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rest — a break
  5. land — ground
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. land — a country
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. land — to come down
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stock — shares
  22. rest — what's left
  23. roll — a list
  24. stock — goods

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