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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 · bank · foot · game · roll · chip · bound · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. foot — a measure
  3. snap — to click
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. roll — a list
  8. bound — obliged
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. bank — for money
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. game — a match
  15. bank — of a river
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bank — for money
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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