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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. file — a tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. chest — a box
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stock — shares
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a line of people
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. key — the most important part
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. staff — employees
  18. key — for a lock
  19. file — a document
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bank — for money
  22. key — in music
  23. stock — goods
  24. snap — to click

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