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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: last · saw · chair · bat · jam · mark · snap · season

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bat — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. season — in sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. season — of the year
  20. chair — a leader
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. last — final
  24. jam — in traffic

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