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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. present — there
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a document
  9. present — the time now
  10. file — a tool
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — a match
  13. stock — goods
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. file — a line of people
  16. present — a gift
  17. stock — shares
  18. chair — a leader
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. stock — a soup base

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