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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: snap · roll · bowl · cell · face · jam · mate · leaves

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. face — to confront
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mate — a partner
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cell — a phone
  16. face — part of the head
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — a list
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. face — to point toward

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