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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: cap · content · stock · coach · ruler · cabinet · bat · rash

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. stock — shares
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stock — goods
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. content — happy
  19. content — the amount
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cabinet — ministers

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