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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. key — the most important part
  6. scale — size or range
  7. rule — a law
  8. degree — an amount
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stock — goods
  13. stand — to bear
  14. scale — in music
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. degree — from a university
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. rule — government
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. degree — temperature

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