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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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468
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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stock — goods
  9. field — for sport
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. field — farmland
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chip — for betting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stock — shares
  20. wind — moving air
  21. field — a subject
  22. wind — moving air
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. chip — to eat

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