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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. can — to be able to
  12. stock — goods
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. firm — decided
  15. stock — shares
  16. firm — steady
  17. bass — low music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. firm — a company
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. field — for sport
  24. bass — the fish

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