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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. band — a music group
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lean — thin
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. rash — a series
  15. charge — a price
  16. field — a subject
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. field — for sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. field — farmland
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. lean — to bend

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