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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. fine — high quality
  3. hand — help
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — all right
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pound — a weight
  10. shower — rain
  11. rest — a break
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. rest — what's left
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. mate — a friend
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rest — what's left
  24. shower — to wash

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