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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: present · jam · net · lie · snap · cold · arm · bowl

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. net — after costs
  7. snap — to click
  8. net — in sport
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. present — there
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. present — the time now
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bowl — a dish

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