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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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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 · pass · stock · chest · staff · board · ruler · stick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. stock — shares
  4. board — a committee
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stock — goods
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chest — a box
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. staff — a stick
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pass — a permit
  17. board — to get on
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. staff — employees
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. ruler — for measuring

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