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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: present · rash · saw · bound · pitcher · net · jam · club

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — certain
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — obliged
  7. net — after costs
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. club — for golf
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. club — for dancing
  14. present — the time now
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — there
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. club — a group
  24. saw — the 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