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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: rule · squash · snap · cabinet · field · mug · jam · bear

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bear — the animal
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. squash — to crush
  6. field — farmland
  7. mug — a cup
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. field — a subject
  14. rule — government
  15. mug — a face
  16. squash — the sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rule — a law
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. field — for sport
  24. bear — the animal

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