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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: rest · straw · net · stock · pop · swing · press · content

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. net — for catching
  3. swing — music
  4. content — the amount
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. net — after costs
  8. press — a publisher
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. stock — shares
  11. swing — in golf
  12. content — happy
  13. press — to push
  14. rest — a break
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stock — goods
  19. press — newspapers
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. swing — to play on
  22. net — in sport
  23. pop — music
  24. rest — what's left

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