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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: kid · racket · content · can · bowl · object · arm · field

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — child
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. field — for sport
  5. object — to protest
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. object — a thing
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. kid — to tease
  12. can — a tin
  13. content — happy
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. object — an aim
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. field — farmland
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — a subject
  21. can — to be able to
  22. content — the amount
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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