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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. capital — a city
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wind — moving air
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. capital — money
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rash — a series
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rock — music
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cell — in biology

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