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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: can · snap · chip · rush · straw · march · stock · scale

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. scale — size or range
  5. march — the month
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — goods
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chip — to eat
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. can — a tin
  17. chip — for betting
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rush — hurry
  20. snap — to click
  21. stock — shares
  22. scale — in music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. straw — dry grass

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