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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. fine — all right
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. shower — rain
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stock — goods
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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