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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: snap · dip · land · pitcher · club · mug · stand · ground

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. snap — to click
  3. land — ground
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — crushed
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. club — a group
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. club — for golf
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mug — to rob
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stand — to bear
  19. mug — a face
  20. club — for dancing
  21. ground — the earth
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. land — a country

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