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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chair — a leader
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. capital — money
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. field — farmland
  17. key — in music
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. key — the most important part
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. key — for a lock
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. capital — a city

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