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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: chair · bowl · present · last · chip · stock · straw · stand

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stock — shares
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stock — goods
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. present — a gift
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. present — there
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chip — to eat
  14. last — final
  15. chip — for betting
  16. last — to go on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. present — the time now
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. last — finally

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