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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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. last — final
  4. net — in sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. last — to go on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. present — a gift
  9. net — for catching
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. field — for sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. present — the time now
  22. last — finally
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. net — after costs

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