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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · present · pass · jam · current · pitcher · tear · cold

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. pass — a permit
  3. ball — a great time
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — to rip
  9. current — electric
  10. ball — a dance
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. present — there
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. present — the time now
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. current — happening now
  19. present — a gift
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cold — not warm
  22. current — of water
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cold — an illness

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