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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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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: coach · cell · stock · snap · mug · sharp · rule · perch

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cell — in biology
  4. perch — the fish
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stock — shares
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stock — goods
  10. mug — a face
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mug — a cup
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — to rob
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rule — government
  22. snap — to click
  23. cell — a phone
  24. perch — for a bird

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