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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 · kid · pit · cap · wake · wave · roll · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kid — child
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pit — a hole
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. hand — in cards
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cap — a lid
  18. roll — a list
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. cap — of ice
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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