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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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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. shower — to wash
  4. last — to go on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. last — final
  11. stock — shares
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — rain
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. last — finally
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stock — goods

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