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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · present · lie · jam · tube · fine · snap · squash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. squash — the sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — a container
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. snap — to click
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. squash — to crush
  12. present — a gift
  13. fine — all right
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. present — there
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. fine — high quality
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — in cards
  23. present — the time now
  24. tube — the underground

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