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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: saw · snap · sharp · cap · dip · spring · arm · swing

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. swing — in golf
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. swing — to play on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. spring — the season
  10. cap — of ice
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. swing — music
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. cap — a hat

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