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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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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stock — goods
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. clip — a video
  7. stock — shares
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rule — government
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rule — a law
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fan — to cool the air

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