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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · suit · track · wake · cold · current · pitcher · coach

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. suit — in cards
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. current — electric
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. suit — clothes
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. suit — to fit
  10. current — of water
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. wake — a trail
  15. current — happening now
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. stock — shares
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cold — the Cold War

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