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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. content — the amount
  9. deal — to handle
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — in sport
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. field — for sport
  15. kid — child
  16. net — after costs
  17. club — for golf
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — to tease
  23. net — for catching
  24. jam — in traffic

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