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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: hand · jam · mug · field · arm · bound · lie · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. hand — help
  4. bound — tied together
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mug — a face
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mug — a cup
  12. field — farmland
  13. net — for catching
  14. hand — in cards
  15. net — after costs
  16. field — for sport
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mug — to rob
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — 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