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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. land — to come down
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. land — ground
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cold — not warm
  11. field — a subject
  12. swing — in golf
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. field — for sport
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. cold — an illness
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. field — farmland
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. land — a country

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