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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · row · stem · net · jam · chip · ball · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. march — music
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. net — in sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — to eat
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. net — for catching
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pit — in a race
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. chip — for betting
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. net — after costs

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