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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stock — goods
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rest — a break
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rest — what's left
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — shares
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  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