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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stock — goods
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mine — for digging
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fall — the season
  15. board — to get on
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. rush — hurry
  18. board — a committee
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. stock — a soup base
  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