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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stock — shares
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitch — completely
  14. shower — to wash
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stock — goods
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. shower — rain
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. hand — help

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