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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: snap · hand · key · deal · cold · bulb · jam · game

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. snap — to click
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — an illness
  8. key — in music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. key — for a lock
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. game — a match
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. hand — in cards
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. key — the most important part
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cold — not warm

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