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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: race · snap · jam · chip · hand · bear · band · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. race — humankind
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bear — the animal
  7. snap — to click
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. band — a music group
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. chip — to eat
  16. hand — help
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. race — the arms race
  19. hand — in cards
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bear — the animal
  22. race — a contest
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. band — a ring

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