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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: jam · perch · court · bore · field · bat · cap · leaves

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bore — to drill
  6. field — farmland
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. cap — a hat
  10. court — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. court — of a king
  13. field — for sport
  14. perch — the fish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. leaves — of a tree

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