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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stock — shares
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mine — for digging
  8. march — music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. last — finally
  11. deal — to handle
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — goods
  19. last — final
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. last — to go on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. staff — a stick

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