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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: row · staff · land · snap · hide · firm · straw · toast

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. land — to come down
  7. toast — bread
  8. staff — employees
  9. firm — a company
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. land — a country
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. firm — steady
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. snap — to click
  18. firm — decided
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. row — a line
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. land — ground
  24. row — to paddle

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