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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
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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 · last · net · deal · cold · pop · can · squash

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  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. squash — the sport
  2. last — to go on
  3. cold — an illness
  4. can — a tin
  5. last — final
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. last — finally
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. snap — to click
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pop — soda
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pop — music
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cold — not warm
  22. deal — to handle
  23. can — to be able to
  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