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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: rush · date · net · jam · fan · ground · pitcher · wound

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rush — hurry
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. net — in sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — crushed

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