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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stock — goods
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — shares
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. mug — a cup
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mug — a face
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a song
  14. rest — a break
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — a publisher
  24. calf — a young animal

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