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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wound · stick · stock · content · coach · mouse · arm · sharp

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stock — shares
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. content — happy
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — goods
  12. content — the amount
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. content — videos and posts

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