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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. game — wild animals
  5. scale — size or range
  6. craft — boats
  7. field — farmland
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. game — a match
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. toast — bread
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. wax — to grow
  24. scale — in music

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