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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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Word bank
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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: jam · date · mouse · snap · sharp · chest · rule · roll

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. snap — to click
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. roll — a list
  7. date — the fruit
  8. sharp — clever
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — a law
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chest — a box
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. roll — a cake

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