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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. hand — in cards
  4. last — final
  5. firm — a company
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. firm — decided
  9. last — finally
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stock — shares
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. stand — to bear
  17. stock — goods
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hand — help
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. firm — steady

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