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

Word bank: tear · mark · jam · band · fork · racket · kid · pit

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. band — a music group
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kid — to tease
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. tear — from crying
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. fork — in a road
  18. tear — to rip
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pit — in a race
  22. band — a ring
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. racket — a loud noise

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