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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 · mate · march · arm · coach · craft · net · pass

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. net — after costs
  7. stock — goods
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stock — shares
  10. mate — to breed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. net — in sport
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pass — a permit
  20. craft — boats
  21. net — for catching
  22. march — music
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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