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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 116 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: rock · mug · kick · coach · root · bat · field · stock

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. root — of a word
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. mug — a face
  8. root — the cause
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bat — the animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. field — for sport
  13. stock — goods
  14. root — of a plant
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. field — farmland
  17. rock — music
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kick — in football
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. field — a subject
  24. rock — a 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