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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. field — a subject
  8. scale — size or range
  9. field — for sport
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. scale — in music
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — to eat
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. current — happening now

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