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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. current — of water
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. field — a subject
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — farmland
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — a match
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. can — a tin
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. field — for sport
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. current — happening now
  19. can — to be able to
  20. current — electric
  21. game — wild animals
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pit — a hole

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