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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 116 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bass — the fish
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. club — for golf
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stock — shares
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stock — goods
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. club — a group
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bass — low music

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