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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: stock · straw · row · squash · hide · chair · swing · snap

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. snap — to click
  11. swing — music
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. row — a line
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stock — goods

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