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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. firm — a company
  3. march — music
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — to crush
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. march — the month
  9. current — of water
  10. firm — steady
  11. current — happening now
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. field — a subject
  14. squash — the sport
  15. season — in sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. firm — decided
  18. current — electric
  19. season — of the year
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. field — for sport

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