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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: jam · stand · cap · court · hide · object · saw · drill

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. stand — to bear
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. drill — the tool
  7. object — a thing
  8. court — of law
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. drill — a practice
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. saw — the tool
  13. court — for sport
  14. cap — of ice
  15. saw — the tool
  16. object — an aim
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cap — a hat
  20. drill — army training
  21. court — of a king
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cap — a lid

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