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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: march · deal · scale · roll · snap · jam · mate · bank

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bank — for money
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to click
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bank — of a river
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mate — to breed
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mate — a partner
  12. march — the month
  13. bank — for money
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. scale — in music
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. scale — size or range

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