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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: pitcher · date · clip · rock · jam · fan · bay · cell

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rock — music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cell — in biology
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. date — the fruit
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cell — a phone
  17. clip — to cut
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. clip — a video
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. jam — in traffic

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