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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 didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. drill — the tool
  4. key — the most important part
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. field — farmland
  7. key — for a lock
  8. drill — army training
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. drill — a practice
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. key — in music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. deal — to handle
  23. field — a subject
  24. bass — low music

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