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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. field — farmland
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cue — a signal
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. branch — a division
  7. rock — a stone
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rock — music
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pitch — completely
  13. field — a subject
  14. swing — to play on
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spell — letters
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. swing — music
  23. spell — magic
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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