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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: suit · temple · bass · row · drill · saw · snap · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — the tool
  6. suit — clothes
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. suit — to fit
  9. snap — to click
  10. saw — the tool
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — army training
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a line
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bass — the fish
  18. suit — in cards
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bass — low music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. drill — a practice

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