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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: arm · leaves · jam · racket · field · drill · kid · cap

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. drill — the tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. cap — a hat
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. drill — army training
  20. field — a subject
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cap — of ice
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. kid — to tease

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