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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. spring — of water
  3. race — humankind
  4. bound — obliged
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. spring — the season
  7. race — a contest
  8. club — a group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bound — certain
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stock — goods
  15. race — the arms race
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bound — tied together
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. stock — shares
  21. club — for golf
  22. tear — to rip
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stock — a soup base

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