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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: ball · bat · drill · pound · jam · safe · leaves · kid

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. kid — to tease
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kid — child
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. drill — a practice
  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