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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: trunk · wake · ground · date · pitcher · jam · suit · pitch

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. wake — a trail
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pitch — completely
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. suit — in cards
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. suit — clothes
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. date — the fruit
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ground — a position
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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