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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. stock — goods
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stock — shares
  9. track — a song
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. race — a contest
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — money
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. capital — a city
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — a path
  20. chair — a leader
  21. race — humankind
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. race — the arms race

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