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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bound — obliged
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — certain
  9. ground — a position
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ground — the earth
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — in a road
  24. stand — to bear

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