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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stock — shares
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wind — moving air
  11. land — ground
  12. drill — the tool
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. land — a country
  15. drill — army training
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — to come down
  18. stock — a soup base

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