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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: cold · pitcher · rule · wake · pit · bear · jam · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hand — help
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rule — a law
  6. wake — a trail
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. cold — not warm
  9. pit — a hole
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rule — government
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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