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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: game · fine · fan · swing · saw · roll · straw · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. roll — a list
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fine — high quality
  8. saw — the tool
  9. swing — music
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — all right
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. game — wild animals
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. game — a match
  19. roll — a cake
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. saw — the tool

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