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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 · arm · safe · sharp · drill · rule · capital

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rule — government
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stock — shares
  10. drill — army training
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rule — a law
  16. sharp — clever
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. capital — a city
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. capital — money
  22. stock — goods
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. safe — out of danger

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