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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. club — for golf
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. ball — a dance
  5. field — farmland
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. field — a subject
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. club — a group
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ball — a great time
  15. shower — rain
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. club — for dancing
  22. field — for sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. fan — a supporter

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