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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: rest · fine · march · safe · scale · coach · stock · game

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. stock — goods
  5. scale — in music
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stock — shares
  8. march — the month
  9. scale — size or range
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rest — a break
  12. fine — all right
  13. march — music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fine — high quality
  16. rest — what's left
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. game — a match
  20. march — the month
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. game — wild animals
  24. stock — a soup base

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