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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: last · season · vault · coach · stock · arm · rock · mine

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rock — a stone
  4. season — of the year
  5. stock — goods
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rock — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stock — shares
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. vault — a safe
  13. last — to go on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. last — final
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — finally

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