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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: bass · date · pitcher · court · jam · lean · suit · rest

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rest — what's left
  3. suit — in cards
  4. rest — a break
  5. bass — low music
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — the fish
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. court — of a king
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. court — of law
  15. rest — what's left
  16. court — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lean — thin
  20. suit — to fit
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. suit — clothes
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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