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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. saw — the tool
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. pitch — completely
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wax — to grow
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. stock — shares
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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