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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 124 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stock — shares
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. capital — money
  6. hand — in cards
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. hand — help
  10. stock — goods
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. capital — a city
  16. club — for dancing
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mark — a trace
  19. club — a group
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. club — for golf
  24. deal — to handle

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