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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. object — an aim
  3. land — to come down
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. object — a thing
  10. face — to confront
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. object — to protest
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. land — a country
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. shower — to wash
  20. rush — hurry
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — ground
  23. face — to point toward
  24. shower — rain

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