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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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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: jam · net · date · race · trunk · pound · pitcher · snap

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pound — a weight
  6. race — humankind
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. race — the arms race
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — a contest
  11. snap — to click
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. net — after costs
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. net — for catching
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. date — the fruit
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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