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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stock — goods
  5. face — to confront
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. face — part of the head
  12. roll — a list
  13. stock — shares
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wound — an injury
  16. roll — a cake
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. suit — to fit
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wound — an injury
  24. band — a rubber band

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