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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: jam · squash · fan · bowl · bear · cell · pitcher · cabinet

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. squash — to crush
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cell — in a prison

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