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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 116 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: stick · straw · chip · march · snap · perch

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. snap — to click
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. march — music
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. march — the month
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chip — for betting
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. chip — to eat

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