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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pop — soda
  4. stock — shares
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. key — the most important part
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. fall — to drop
  14. game — a match
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. stock — goods
  17. key — in music
  18. pop — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fall — the season
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. mine — for digging
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mine — belonging to me

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