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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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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: cold · bat · bay · jam · spell · swing · chip · snap

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. swing — music
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spell — magic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. cold — an illness
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. chip — to eat
  16. spell — letters
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. snap — to click

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