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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. land — a country
  5. last — to go on
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. land — ground
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. snap — to click
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cap — a lid
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. land — to come down
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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