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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · cold · rush · bass · rash · jam · pitcher · wind

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cold — an illness
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — a series
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wind — moving air

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