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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 120 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: coach · stock · court · field · root · chip · bay · swing

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. court — of law
  4. root — the cause
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. field — farmland
  7. swing — to play on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — for sport
  10. root — of a plant
  11. court — of a king
  12. field — a subject
  13. chip — to eat
  14. court — for sport
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. swing — music
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stock — shares
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stock — goods
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chip — for betting

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