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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · bat · charge · key · field · club · temple · clip

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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 — side of the head
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. key — in music
  6. charge — electricity
  7. club — a group
  8. clip — a video
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — for dancing
  11. charge — a price
  12. key — for a lock
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. charge — in control
  16. field — a subject
  17. key — the most important part
  18. field — for sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. field — farmland
  24. bat — for baseball

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