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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 120 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: kid · dip · spell · nail · straw · chair · bay · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stock — shares
  8. dip — to sink
  9. spell — letters
  10. stock — goods
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — to tease
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. kid — child
  24. spell — magic

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