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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: saw · cold · roll · cabinet · arm · capital · field · jam

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. field — a subject
  7. cold — an illness
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. capital — a city
  12. saw — the tool
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. capital — money
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. field — farmland
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. roll — a list
  21. cold — not warm
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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