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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · snap · land · straw · net · dip · pitcher · pit

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  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. dip — to sink
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — after costs
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. field — farmland
  9. net — in sport
  10. land — a country
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — for sport
  13. land — to come down
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — ground
  19. snap — to click
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — for catching
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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