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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: key · snap · arm · game · stock · ground · net · straw

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. ground — the earth
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stock — goods
  8. ground — crushed
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. key — the most important part
  11. game — a match
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. key — in music
  20. ground — a position
  21. net — for catching
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. game — wild animals
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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