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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · arm · racket · mine · foot · coach · fine · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fine — all right
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. fine — high quality
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. spring — of water
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. spring — the season
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. foot — the bottom

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