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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: snap · saw · straw · court · pitcher · squash · pit · stem

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. pit — a hole
  4. court — of law
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. snap — to click
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. stem — to come from
  13. court — for sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pit — in a race
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. squash — the sport
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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