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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 116 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rash — a series
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mark — a grade
  6. net — for catching
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. net — in sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — a position
  12. rash — hasty
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. march — music
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. ground — crushed
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. march — the month
  19. row — a line
  20. march — the month
  21. net — after costs
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mark — a trace
  24. row — a quarrel

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