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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. spring — of water
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. race — the arms race
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. net — for catching
  9. race — a contest
  10. bore — to drill
  11. row — to paddle
  12. race — humankind
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. foot — a measure
  18. spring — a coil
  19. net — after costs
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. spring — the season
  23. net — in sport
  24. row — a line

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