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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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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 · bound · stick · snap · drill · chip · net · dip

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. drill — army training
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chip — for betting
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bound — tied together
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. net — in sport
  12. snap — to click
  13. net — for catching
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. net — after costs
  22. bound — certain
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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