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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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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: staff · fan · bowl · spell · pit · straw · calf · snap

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pit — a hole
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. snap — to click
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. staff — employees
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. spell — letters
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. spell — magic
  23. staff — employees
  24. calf — a young animal

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