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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. plane — a tool
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. swing — to play on
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pass — a permit
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. swing — music
  17. stock — goods
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. swing — in golf
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. hide — animal skin

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