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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: bat · date · stock · straw · rush · mouse · bound · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stock — goods
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. date — the fruit
  7. staff — employees
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bound — tied together
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bat — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stock — shares
  23. bound — certain
  24. date — on the calendar

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