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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: jam · roll · hand · bear · mark · drill · bat · hide

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mark — a grade
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mark — a trace
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. drill — army training
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hand — help
  13. roll — a list
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bear — the animal
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. drill — the tool
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. roll — a cake
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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