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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: rest · band · bowl · deal · pitcher · jam · rush · kid

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — what's left
  3. band — a ring
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rest — a break
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — to tease
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. kid — child
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. jam — a tight spot

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