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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: straw · mark · fan · stock · court · snap · charge · wind

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. charge — a price
  5. court — of a king
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. stock — goods
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. snap — to click
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. court — of law
  15. wind — moving air
  16. court — for sport
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stock — shares

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