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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. file — a tool
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rash — hasty
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. file — a document
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. stock — shares
  17. bark — to shout
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stock — goods
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. straw — a straw man

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