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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. mug — a face
  2. stock — goods
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fall — to drop
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fall — the season
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fall — to drop
  12. stock — shares
  13. ground — a position
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ball — a dance
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mug — a cup
  20. ball — a great time
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mug — to rob
  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