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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. board — to get on
  4. pop — music
  5. season — of the year
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. season — in sport
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rash — a series
  12. stock — shares
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stock — goods
  15. content — the amount
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. content — happy
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pop — soda
  22. fork — in a road
  23. board — a committee
  24. stock — a soup base

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