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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: swing · mark · row · coach · stock · hand · bulb · last

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. swing — music
  3. last — final
  4. hand — help
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bulb — for light
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mark — a grade
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stock — shares
  12. row — a line
  13. hand — in cards
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mark — a trace
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. last — finally
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. stock — goods
  24. last — to go on

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