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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: current · dip · snap · toast · bank · clip · game · straw

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. clip — to cut
  3. bank — for money
  4. game — wild animals
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. dip — to sink
  10. current — electric
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. clip — a video
  18. current — of water
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. clip — for paper
  21. toast — bread
  22. bank — of a river
  23. snap — to click
  24. game — a match

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