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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: snap · craft · stick · kick · straw · toast

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. craft — boats
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. craft — a skill
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. toast — bread
  12. kick — in football
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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