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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wind — moving air
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wind — moving air
  5. charge — a price
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. shower — rain
  8. field — a subject
  9. club — for golf
  10. charge — in control
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — for sport
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. charge — electricity
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. field — farmland
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. club — a group
  24. ruler — for measuring

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