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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. snap — to click
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fork — in a road
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. vault — a safe
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — the season
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. spring — of water
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. season — in sport
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rush — a thrill

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