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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. chair — a leader
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. field — for sport
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. key — in music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. can — a tin
  9. stock — shares
  10. field — a subject
  11. can — a tin
  12. stand — to bear
  13. key — the most important part
  14. field — farmland
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stock — goods
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. key — for a lock

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