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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: net · swing · stock · staff · snap · game · hand · leaves

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. game — wild animals
  3. snap — to click
  4. stock — shares
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. net — after costs
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — for catching
  13. hand — in cards
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — a stick
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. net — in sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hand — help
  24. staff — employees

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