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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: mine · coach · mark · dip · season · stock · suit · press

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. suit — to fit
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. dip — to sink
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. stock — shares
  9. press — to push
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. season — of the year
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mine — for digging
  15. press — newspapers
  16. suit — in cards
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. stock — goods
  24. mark — a grade

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