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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. field — farmland
  3. file — a tool
  4. face — part of the head
  5. field — for sport
  6. rock — a stone
  7. file — a line of people
  8. content — happy
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. content — the amount
  11. file — a document
  12. suit — clothes
  13. face — to confront
  14. rock — music
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. suit — to fit
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. field — a subject
  21. face — to point toward
  22. suit — in cards
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. sharp — with an edge

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