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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: stock · nail · ground · cold · coach · squash · roll · suit

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stock — shares
  4. cold — not warm
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — the earth
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stock — goods
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. squash — the sport
  13. ground — crushed
  14. roll — a list
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ground — a position
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — in cards
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. roll — a cake
  24. squash — to crush

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