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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. key — the most important part
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. key — for a lock
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stock — shares
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lean — thin
  15. key — in music
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stock — goods
  18. kick — in football
  19. wound — an injury
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pound — a weight
  23. lean — to bend
  24. kick — with a leg

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