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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rush — hurry
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — to handle
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. field — for sport
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — goods
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — a subject
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. field — farmland
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stock — shares
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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