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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: mug · field · snap · last · dip · jam · squash · rush

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. last — final
  4. mug — a face
  5. squash — to crush
  6. dip — to sink
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — finally
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. last — to go on
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. field — a subject
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rush — hurry
  23. snap — to click
  24. jam — in traffic

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