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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. chair — a leader
  3. fine — all right
  4. field — for sport
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bark — to shout
  10. field — a subject
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. net — for catching
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. field — farmland
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. chip — for betting
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bark — of a tree

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