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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: pit · fine · snap · jam · root · pitcher · pass · saw

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pass — a permit
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pit — a hole
  11. snap — to click
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pit — in a race
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. root — of a word
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. pitcher — a jug

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