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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 120 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. stock — shares
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bass — low music
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rule — a law
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. object — an aim
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rest — a break
  20. hand — help
  21. object — a thing
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stock — goods
  24. rule — government

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