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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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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: rock · foot · rest · season · board · straw · snap · stock

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. rock — music
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. board — to get on
  10. rest — what's left
  11. snap — to click
  12. stock — shares
  13. foot — a measure
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. board — a committee
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. season — of the year
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — in sport
  21. rock — a stone
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. rest — a break

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