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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: bay · season · wind · tube · pitch · fan · arm · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. pitch — completely
  6. season — of the year
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wind — moving air
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. season — in sport
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wind — moving air
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. tube — a container
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. tube — the underground
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. arm — part of the body

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