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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 116 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: racket · content · saw · coach · trunk · stock · pit · kick

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. content — the amount
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stock — shares
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — the tool
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. content — happy
  19. kick — in football
  20. stock — goods
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. racket — a loud noise

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