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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: pound · fine · season · wound · stock · coach · cue · lie

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stock — shares
  3. fine — all right
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cue — a hint
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lie — to recline
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pound — a weight
  12. season — in sport
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — goods
  21. cue — for pool
  22. season — of the year
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. lie — an untruth

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