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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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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: tear · bowl · chair · jam · pitch · arm · fork · date

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pitch — completely

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