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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: patient · pit · file · ground · pitcher · bear · jam · pop

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bear — the animal
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. file — a line of people
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ground — a position
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pop — to visit
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pit — a hole
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — soda
  23. ground — crushed
  24. file — a tool

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