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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. field — for sport
  5. tube — a container
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cell — a phone
  13. content — the amount
  14. tube — the underground
  15. content — happy
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — a subject
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. present — a gift
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. cell — in biology
  23. field — farmland
  24. craft — a skill

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