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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · jam · hand · snap · suit · rule · date · fork

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rule — government
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. suit — clothes
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. suit — to fit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. snap — to click
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — in cards
  17. hand — in cards
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rule — a law
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. jam — a tight spot

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