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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 · rule · roll · sharp · bore · coach · content · last

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. roll — a list
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — final
  5. roll — a cake
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. content — the amount
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. last — to go on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stock — goods
  15. sharp — clever
  16. content — happy
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rule — government
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. last — finally
  22. stock — shares
  23. rule — a law
  24. content — videos and posts

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