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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chip — to eat
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. deal — to handle
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ball — a dance
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. roll — a list
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. deal — an agreement

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