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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: shower · stock · coach · season · pit · roll · wake · race

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. shower — rain
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pit — in a race
  5. shower — to wash
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stock — goods
  10. roll — a cake
  11. season — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pit — a hole
  14. roll — a list
  15. race — a contest
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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