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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bat — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. current — happening now
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. stock — goods
  11. staff — employees
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. current — electric
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bass — low music
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stock — shares
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. toast — bread
  24. kick — in football

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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