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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 124 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. row — to paddle
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stock — shares
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. race — humankind
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. race — a contest
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — to recline
  18. row — a line
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stock — goods
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitch — completely

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