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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. scale — in music
  4. firm — decided
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. content — the amount
  7. scale — size or range
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. firm — steady
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. tube — a container
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. date — the fruit
  15. firm — a company
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. content — happy
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tube — the underground
  24. field — farmland

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