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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cap — a lid
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. current — of water
  13. row — a line
  14. current — electric
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cap — of ice
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — a big deal

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