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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: bay · hand · pitcher · snap · craft · saw · mug · roll

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. snap — to click
  8. hand — help
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mug — a face
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. craft — a skill
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. saw — the tool
  19. roll — a list
  20. hand — in cards
  21. craft — boats
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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