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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stock — shares
  11. key — the most important part
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stand — to bear
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. fine — all right
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. fine — high quality
  19. band — a music group
  20. key — in music
  21. band — a ring
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wind — moving air

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