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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · stock · cold · roll · hide · mark · straw · scale

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. land — to come down
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. land — ground
  8. scale — in music
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stock — shares
  11. land — a country
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. stock — goods
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mark — a trace
  18. roll — a list
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. straw — a straw man

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