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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: cap · sharp · net · jam · pitcher · mate · march · wound

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mate — a friend
  4. march — music
  5. net — for catching
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — in sport
  10. net — after costs
  11. cap — a hat
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — the month
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. march — the month
  24. wound — an injury

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