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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. current — of water
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cold — not warm
  9. row — to paddle
  10. track — a path
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. current — electric
  13. pit — in a race
  14. current — happening now
  15. pit — a hole
  16. ball — a dance
  17. track — a song
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. row — a line
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — an illness
  24. jam — in traffic

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