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

Word bank: hide · stock · snap · cap · leaves · nail · straw · kid

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. snap — to click
  4. stock — goods
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cap — of ice
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cap — a lid
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. stock — shares
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cap — a hat
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kid — child

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