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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cap — of ice
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wind — moving air
  7. club — for golf
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stock — shares
  10. craft — boats
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. shower — rain
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. shower — to wash
  16. club — a group
  17. rash — hasty
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rash — a series
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — a skill
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. stock — goods

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