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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. deal — to handle
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. current — of water
  7. pitch — completely
  8. current — happening now
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rash — hasty
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. field — for sport
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rash — a series
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. current — electric

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