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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: bear · chair · game · pitcher · field · jam · fine · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. game — a match
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. fine — all right
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fine — high quality
  18. field — a subject
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. chair — a leader
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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