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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: season · firm · jam · pitcher · ball · cabinet · mark · field

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. firm — a company
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. firm — steady
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. field — a subject
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — farmland
  20. firm — decided
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mark — a grade
  23. field — for sport
  24. ball — a round shape

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