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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: season · snap · chair · track · row · racket · jam · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — a line
  7. rush — hurry
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. season — of the year
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. track — a path
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. row — to paddle
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. season — in sport
  24. track — a song

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