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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. net — for catching
  4. rule — a law
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. rule — government
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ground — a position
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — the earth
  12. net — in sport
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. net — after costs
  15. can — a tin
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. can — to be able to
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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