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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: kick · jam · stock · rest · season · hand · coach · leaves

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. rest — a break
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stock — shares
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kick — in football
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. season — of the year
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. hand — help
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. stock — goods
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rest — what's left

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