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

Word bank: bay · snap · straw · pound · stock · race

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. stock — goods
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. race — the arms race
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pound — a weight
  10. race — a contest
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. race — humankind
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. snap — to click
  15. stock — shares
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. pound — for dogs

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