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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: lean · clip · bore · firm · coach · stock · game · pit

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lean — to bend
  4. game — a match
  5. bore — to tire
  6. stock — goods
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. bore — to drill
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. clip — a video
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stock — shares
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pit — in a race

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