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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: snap · stand · clip · stock · straw · hide · chair · craft

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. craft — a skill
  4. clip — to cut
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. clip — a video
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stock — shares
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to click
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. craft — boats
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stock — goods
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. clip — for paper

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