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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.

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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: game · pass · dip · swing · net · snap · perch · chest

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — to play on
  4. chest — a box
  5. pass — a permit
  6. swing — in golf
  7. chest — of your body
  8. net — in sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — wild animals
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. swing — music
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. snap — to click
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. chest — of your body
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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