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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. spring — the season
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. stock — shares
  5. race — a contest
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stock — goods
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bat — the animal
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. race — humankind
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spring — a coil
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spring — of water

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