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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. capital — money
  5. track — a path
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. track — a song
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stock — goods
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. hand — help
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. capital — a city
  15. stock — shares
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. key — for a lock
  19. branch — a division
  20. pit — in a race
  21. key — in music
  22. hand — in cards
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. track — to keep track

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