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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: pitcher · jam · race · fine · kid · bay · present · fan

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. kid — to tease
  3. present — a gift
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fine — high quality
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. present — the time now
  13. race — the arms race
  14. fine — all right
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. kid — child
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. race — a contest
  20. race — humankind
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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