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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cell — in biology
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. board — to get on
  14. shower — to wash
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. can — a tin
  17. fine — all right
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. can — to be able to
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. board — a committee
  24. cell — in a prison

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