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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: game · bowl · pit · jam · pitch · trunk · spring · snap

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitch — completely
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. snap — to click
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — the season
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — a match
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. bowl — a football final

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