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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 · roll · calf · jam · dip · stand · bat · land

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. land — to come down
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. stand — to bear
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. land — a country
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. roll — a list
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. roll — a cake
  21. land — ground
  22. dip — to sink
  23. calf — of the leg
  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