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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's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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. cap — a hat
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bound — obliged
  6. stock — shares
  7. mate — to breed
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. stock — goods
  16. bound — tied together
  17. scale — size or range
  18. firm — steady
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bound — certain
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. scale — in music
  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