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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: tube · snap · jam · date · dip · roll · court · march

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. march — the month
  3. court — for sport
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. tube — a container
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. roll — a list
  11. dip — to sink
  12. court — of law
  13. snap — to click
  14. date — the fruit
  15. roll — a cake
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — music
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. court — of a king
  24. tube — the underground

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