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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 · hide · mouse · snap · straw · bound · row · chip

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. snap — to click
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. row — to paddle
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bound — certain
  13. row — a line
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bound — tied together
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. chip — for betting

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