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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: lean · cap · bound · ball · jam · game · hide · snap

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. snap — to click
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. bound — certain
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. game — a match
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lean — thin
  15. game — wild animals
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cap — a hat

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