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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
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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: march · cap · jam · mate · last · game · dip · lash

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. mate — a friend
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mate — to breed
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. march — the month
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. march — the month
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. last — finally
  23. cap — a hat
  24. game — wild animals

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