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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stock — goods
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — shares
  5. file — a document
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. kid — child
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. band — a music group
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rush — hurry
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. file — a line of people
  18. kid — to tease
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. band — a rubber band

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