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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: straw · saw · foot · shower · bowl · pitch · mouse · snap

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. shower — rain
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. snap — to click
  24. bowl — to roll

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