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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: stock · straw · hide · stand · game · net · kick · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. net — for catching
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. stand — to bear
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. game — wild animals
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. game — a match
  13. stock — shares
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. kick — in football
  16. roll — a list
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. roll — on a roll

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