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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 120 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: stock · snap · season · clip · shower · present · key · straw

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stock — shares
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. key — for a lock
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. stock — goods
  12. key — in music
  13. snap — to click
  14. shower — rain
  15. clip — for paper
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. clip — a video
  18. present — the time now
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — to cut
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. key — the most important part
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. shower — to wash

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