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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: deal · net · jam · land · pitcher · mine · cue · bore

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. land — to come down
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. land — a country
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. land — ground
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bore — to tire
  11. net — in sport
  12. mine — for digging
  13. deal — to handle
  14. net — after costs
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. net — for catching
  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