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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: spring · can · jam · rule · root · fine · pitch · last

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rule — a law
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. spring — of water
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. spring — the season
  9. root — the cause
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spring — a coil
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. rule — government
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. root — of a word
  20. fine — high quality
  21. pitch — completely
  22. last — final
  23. can — a tin
  24. root — of a plant

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