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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: snap · prune · pitcher · object · jam · pop · bat · rule

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. pop — soda
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rule — government
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. snap — to click
  13. object — an aim
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. prune — to trim
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pop — music
  23. object — a thing
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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