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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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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: rest · jam · nail · arm · kid · cap · temple · stand

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cap — of ice
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. rest — what's left
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stand — to bear
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. stand — on your feet

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