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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: jam · season · fall · cap · track · snap · squash · vault

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. squash — to crush
  4. season — of the year
  5. snap — to click
  6. fall — to drop
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. cap — a hat
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cap — of ice
  13. track — a song
  14. vault — a safe
  15. squash — the sport
  16. fall — to drop
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. fall — the season
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. track — a path
  22. cap — a lid
  23. season — in sport
  24. jam — a tight spot

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