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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: straw · mate · staff · present · rush · stock · spell · kid

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. stock — goods
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rush — hurry
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. spell — magic
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. kid — child
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stock — shares
  15. mate — to breed
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. present — there
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. spell — letters
  22. staff — a stick
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — a gift

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