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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: pass · leaves · cold · snap · jam · band · pit · bay

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. snap — to click
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cold — an illness
  13. band — a ring
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — the Cold War

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