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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. suit — clothes
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stock — goods
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitch — completely
  12. suit — in cards
  13. clip — to cut
  14. can — to be able to
  15. suit — to fit
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — a tool
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. cabinet — ministers

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