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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. field — a subject
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. key — the most important part
  6. charge — a price
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mug — a face
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. key — for a lock
  17. field — farmland
  18. key — in music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mug — a cup
  22. charge — in control
  23. field — for sport
  24. mine — for digging

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