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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: march · stock · firm · last · pound · straw · jam · spell

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. last — to go on
  4. firm — a company
  5. spell — magic
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stock — shares
  8. spell — a short time
  9. march — the month
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. firm — decided
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. last — final
  14. march — the month
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. march — music
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. stock — goods
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. last — finally
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. firm — steady
  24. spell — letters

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