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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: stand · fan · stock · content · club · row · straw · rest

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rest — what's left
  3. content — happy
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. club — a group
  7. stock — goods
  8. content — the amount
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. row — to paddle
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stock — shares
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — a break
  15. stand — to bear
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. club — for golf
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stand — on your feet

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