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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. field — farmland
  3. present — the time now
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. present — a gift
  6. object — an aim
  7. field — for sport
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. swing — in golf
  10. object — a thing
  11. foot — a measure
  12. march — the month
  13. field — a subject
  14. march — the month
  15. row — to paddle
  16. object — to protest
  17. march — music
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. swing — to play on
  20. row — a line
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. swing — music
  24. present — there

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