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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: rule · jam · pit · firm · racket · pitcher · bat · file

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. rule — government
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. firm — a company
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. firm — steady
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. firm — decided
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. file — a tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pit — a hole
  19. file — a line of people
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rule — a law
  23. file — a document
  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