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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: snap · game · toast · file · dip · cabinet · bank · straw

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. file — a document
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. toast — bread
  12. bank — of a river
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. dip — to sink
  17. file — a line of people
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. game — a match
  24. snap — to click

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