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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: swing · spell · last · row · coach · fine · stock · foot

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fine — high quality
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — letters
  6. fine — all right
  7. foot — a measure
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. row — a line
  10. last — to go on
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. swing — in golf
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — goods
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. swing — music
  23. spell — a short time
  24. row — a quarrel

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