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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: cabinet · straw · jam · rule · snap · coach · bat · wound

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rule — a law
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. snap — to click
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rule — government
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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