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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. fall — the season
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mark — a grade
  5. march — the month
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. saw — the tool
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. game — a match
  13. ground — a position
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. snap — to click
  19. march — music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — the earth
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — crushed
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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