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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. stock — shares
  3. cap — a lid
  4. mark — a trace
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tube — a container
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — an injury
  17. club — for golf
  18. tube — the underground
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stock — goods
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. straw — dry grass

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