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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: fan · root · bound · jam · season · can · pitch · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bound — certain
  4. root — the cause
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. root — of a plant
  9. can — a tin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. season — in sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. can — to be able to
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitch — completely
  21. season — of the year
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pitch — a sports field

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