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

Word bank: firm · racket · mark · patient · cold · snap · saw · jam

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. snap — to click
  4. cold — an illness
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. firm — decided
  11. cold — not warm
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. firm — a company
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. firm — steady
  23. mark — a trace
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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