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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: wake · bound · jam · cap · hide · field · court · mouse

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. cap — of ice
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wake — a trail
  8. court — for sport
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — farmland
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. court — of a king
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — of law
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bound — certain
  20. cap — a hat
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. field — a subject

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