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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fine — high quality
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mate — a partner
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mate — a friend
  15. club — a group
  16. mate — to breed
  17. fine — all right
  18. club — for golf
  19. march — music
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for dancing

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