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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — the animal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. can — a tin
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. branch — a division
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mug — a cup
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  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