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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ground — the earth
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ground — a position
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. cap — a lid
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cue — a signal
  13. hand — help
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cap — of ice
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — crushed
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cap — a hat
  23. hand — in cards
  24. cue — a hint

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