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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 116 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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stock — goods
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wound — an injury
  10. march — the month
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — music
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. board — to get on
  21. dip — to sink
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — a committee
  24. saw — the tool

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