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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. 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. stand — to bear
  2. game — wild animals
  3. stock — shares
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. rock — a stone
  10. file — a document
  11. craft — a skill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. game — a match
  16. craft — boats
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. file — a tool
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rock — music
  24. 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