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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: snap · jam · wound · pound · roll · cabinet · charge · cold

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. charge — electricity
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. snap — to click
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wound — an injury
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. charge — a price
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. roll — a list
  19. charge — in control
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cold — an illness
  22. pound — a weight
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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