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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 · stock · pass · fork · swing · rush · snap · last

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pass — a permit
  6. snap — to click
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stock — goods
  10. last — finally
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. last — to go on
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rush — hurry
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. last — final
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fork — in a road

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