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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. chest — of your body
  3. current — electric
  4. court — of a king
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. current — of water
  7. capital — a city
  8. scale — size or range
  9. court — of law
  10. capital — money
  11. court — for sport
  12. current — happening now
  13. scale — in music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — of your body
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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