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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: field · fork · kid · bound · stand · jam · content · fine

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. kid — to tease
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. fine — high quality
  6. field — a subject
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. content — happy
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. fine — all right
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kid — child
  21. fork — in a road
  22. stand — to bear
  23. content — the amount
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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