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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: jam · bound · foot · row · pit · dip · board · prune

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. bound — obliged
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. board — a committee
  6. dip — to sink
  7. prune — to trim
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bound — certain
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pit — in a race
  15. row — a line
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. foot — a measure
  22. bound — tied together
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. foot — part of the body

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