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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: dip · straw · net · jam · snap · nail · march · wind

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. snap — to click
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. net — after costs
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. net — in sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. net — for catching
  24. dip — to sink

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