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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. firm — decided
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. season — in sport
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. season — of the year
  14. bound — certain
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. root — the cause
  18. firm — steady
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. firm — a company
  21. root — of a plant
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. root — of a word

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