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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. sharp — clever
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. chip — to eat
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stock — goods
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stock — shares

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