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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: cabinet · bat · field · arm · jam · chip · current · bear

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. field — a subject
  4. chip — for betting
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bat — the animal
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. current — happening now
  9. field — farmland
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. current — electric
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — of water
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. field — for sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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