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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stock — shares
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pop — soda
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. game — a match
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — for digging
  16. present — the time now
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — wild animals
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pop — music
  22. stock — goods
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. present — there

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