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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: stick · suit · wind · charge · stock · straw · cold · kid

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kid — child
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stock — goods
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cold — an illness
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. charge — electricity
  24. straw — a straw man

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