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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: stand · mouse · jam · bark · kick · pit · drill · field

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. field — farmland
  11. drill — army training
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kick — in football
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pit — in a race

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