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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 116 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: clip · straw · nail · suit · bat · club · shower · stock

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — a video
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stock — shares
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. suit — in cards
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. suit — to fit
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stock — goods
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — a group
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. shower — rain

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