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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 120 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: last · stock · safe · coach · degree · net · chip · bat

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. stock — goods
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. bat — the animal
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. last — to go on
  8. stock — shares
  9. degree — an amount
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. degree — from a university
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. degree — temperature
  14. last — finally
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — for catching
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — in sport
  21. last — final
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. net — after costs
  24. chip — for betting

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