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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: deal · snap · jam · shower · game · lash · nail · pop

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. snap — to click
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. game — a match
  5. shower — rain
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pop — soda
  23. shower — to wash
  24. jam — in traffic

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