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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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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: snap · chair · wave · leaves · squash · game · jam · hide

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. game — a match
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. game — wild animals
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chair — a leader
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. squash — to crush

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