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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: shower · game · tube · pitcher · bulb · net · mark · jam

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. net — after costs
  3. shower — to wash
  4. tube — a container
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bulb — for light
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. game — a match
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. net — in sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mark — a grade
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — for catching
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — wild animals

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