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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: cold · pit · row · jam · bound · rush · charge · bank

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rush — hurry
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pit — a hole
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bound — tied together
  8. charge — electricity
  9. row — to paddle
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pit — in a race
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. row — a line
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. charge — in control
  16. bank — for money
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. charge — a price
  23. bound — certain
  24. bank — of a river

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