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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: jam · arm · net · cell · key · tube · bear · court

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. net — in sport
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. tube — the underground
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — for sport
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cell — a phone
  12. key — the most important part
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — in music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. key — for a lock
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. net — after costs
  23. court — of law
  24. bear — the animal

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