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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 · racket · land · straw · bowl · saw · stick · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. saw — the tool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. saw — the tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. land — ground
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. land — to come down
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. snap — to click
  15. land — a country
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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