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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stock — shares
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cold — not warm
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. stock — goods
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. chip — to eat
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — to come from

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