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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 116 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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bank — for money
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bank — of a river
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — goods
  11. mug — to rob
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — shares
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. court — of law
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mug — a face
  22. court — of a king
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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