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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bound — tied together
  3. swing — to play on
  4. land — a country
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. field — farmland
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. field — a subject
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — for sport
  12. land — to come down
  13. bound — certain
  14. chest — of your body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ball — a great time
  17. swing — music
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bound — obliged
  21. swing — in golf
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. land — ground
  24. stand — to bear

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