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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fine — all right
  5. season — of the year
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. track — a song
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. current — happening now
  11. track — to keep track
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. track — a path
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. current — electric
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. season — in sport
  21. fine — high quality
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bat — the animal

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