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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. shower — rain
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wake — a trail
  8. can — a tin
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. perch — the fish
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bound — obliged
  14. can — to be able to
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bound — certain
  17. stock — goods
  18. can — a tin
  19. file — a document
  20. stock — shares
  21. bound — tied together
  22. shower — to wash
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — a straw man

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