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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. field — farmland
  5. key — for a lock
  6. hand — in cards
  7. key — in music
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. band — a ring
  11. bass — the fish
  12. band — a music group
  13. cap — a hat
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. field — a subject
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. cap — of ice
  18. field — for sport
  19. hand — help
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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