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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · pitcher · straw · dip · spell · fan

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. spell — a short time
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spell — magic
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — letters
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pitcher — a jug

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