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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: dip · bat · hand · shower · board · pit · snap · saw

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. shower — to wash
  10. hand — help
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. board — to get on
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. hand — in cards
  18. board — a committee
  19. snap — to click
  20. saw — the tool
  21. shower — rain
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — the animal

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