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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
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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: ground · pitcher · bat · bank · rule · cell · jam · game

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bat — the animal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. ground — a position
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bank — of a river
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bank — for money
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cell — a phone
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bank — for money
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. game — a match
  24. ground — the earth

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