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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cell — a phone
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. stock — goods
  7. cell — in biology
  8. date — the fruit
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bore — to tire
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bore — to drill
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — certain

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