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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: kid · pitcher · net · tear · dip · fall · jam · fine

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. net — after costs
  12. kid — child
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fine — high quality
  15. tear — to rip
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. net — in sport
  18. dip — to sink
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fine — all right
  24. pitcher — a jug

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