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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: face · sharp · stock · swing · coach · scale · track · ground

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. swing — music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. face — to confront
  6. ground — the earth
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. track — a song
  10. scale — in music
  11. track — a path
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. face — to point toward
  14. swing — to play on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. face — part of the head
  20. scale — size or range
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. swing — in golf
  24. coach — a trainer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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