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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rest — a break
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. root — of a word
  8. mark — a grade
  9. scale — size or range
  10. rest — what's left
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. scale — in music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mark — a trace
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stock — shares
  23. sharp — clever
  24. root — the cause

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