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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: straw · pop · stick · cabinet · snap · hand · firm · season

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — decided
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pop — soda
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — help
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. firm — a company
  12. season — of the year
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pop — to visit
  24. firm — steady

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