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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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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: pitch · roll · stock · rock · last · race · staff · coach

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. roll — a cake
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stock — shares
  6. rock — music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. last — to go on
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rock — a stone
  14. staff — employees
  15. roll — a list
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. last — finally
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. race — a contest

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