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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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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 · current · field · board · face · pitcher · tube · kid

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. tube — a container
  5. current — of water
  6. face — to confront
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. kid — to tease
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. current — electric
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. board — a committee
  21. current — happening now
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tube — the underground

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