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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 · saw · foot · dip · straw · squash · march · sharp

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. saw — the tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. dip — to sink
  10. saw — the tool
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. squash — to crush
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. sharp — clever
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. foot — a measure
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. snap — to click
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. squash — the sport

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