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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. field — farmland
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. can — to be able to
  9. scale — size or range
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. current — happening now
  15. field — for sport
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. row — a line
  18. current — of water
  19. scale — in music
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. can — a tin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. field — a subject
  24. current — electric

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