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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stand — to bear
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. scale — in music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. cap — of ice
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. file — a document
  19. cap — a hat
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. straw — a straw man

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