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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: jam · wave · saw · mark · chest · pitcher · squash · cold

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chest — a box
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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