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

Word bank: club · field · drill · current · perch · jam · race · fork

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. current — electric
  3. drill — army training
  4. club — a group
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. perch — the fish
  8. race — humankind
  9. club — for golf
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fork — in a road
  19. race — the arms race
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. race — a contest
  22. current — happening now
  23. field — for sport
  24. current — of water

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