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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 always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cold — an illness
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stock — shares
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. suit — clothes
  13. cap — a hat
  14. stock — goods
  15. vault — a safe
  16. suit — in cards
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cold — not warm
  19. suit — to fit
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. hand — in cards
  22. cap — a lid
  23. hand — help
  24. cap — of ice

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