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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: coach · stock · rock · cold · pit · present · track · rule

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. present — a gift
  3. stock — shares
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. track — a song
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — not warm
  15. present — there
  16. rule — government
  17. pit — in a race
  18. track — to keep track
  19. present — the time now
  20. pit — a hole
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — goods
  23. rule — a law
  24. cold — an illness

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