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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spell — magic
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. stock — goods
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spell — a short time
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. track — a path
  17. spell — letters
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. track — to keep track
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bat — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stock — shares
  24. bat — in an idiom

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