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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: last · pitcher · sharp · ground · jam · patient · pop · cabinet

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. last — finally
  9. ground — crushed
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. pop — to visit
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — a position
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. last — final
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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