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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pit — a hole
  4. squash — the sport
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stock — goods
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. squash — to crush
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stand — to bear
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wake — a trail
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pit — in a race

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