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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. stock — goods
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bass — low music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bass — the fish
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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