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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cap — of ice
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cap — a lid
  5. present — there
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rest — a break
  9. game — a match
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — a hat
  13. present — the time now
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. present — a gift
  17. game — wild animals
  18. season — in sport
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. snap — to click
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. season — of the year

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