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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: bat · jam · nail · coach · arm · cue · roll · track

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — a hint
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. track — a song
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. roll — a cake
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. roll — a list
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. track — a path
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. nail — on a finger

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