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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. object — an aim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — hasty
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. season — in sport
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. stock — shares
  17. season — of the year
  18. rash — a series
  19. bat — the animal
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — to protest
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bat — for baseball

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