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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in biology
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stock — shares
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. stock — goods
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. sharp — exactly

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