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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 · bat · wake · snap · bear · cell · game · nail

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. wake — a trail
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cell — a phone
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. game — a match
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bat — for baseball

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