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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: field · jam · fork · chair · spring · pop · foot · content

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. foot — a measure
  3. pop — to visit
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spring — the season
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. pop — soda
  13. fork — in a road
  14. pop — music
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. spring — a coil
  19. content — the amount
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. content — happy
  22. field — a subject
  23. spring — of water
  24. chair — a leader

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