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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. swing — in golf
  5. board — to get on
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. capital — money
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. capital — a city
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. board — a committee
  15. chest — of your body
  16. lean — thin
  17. chest — a box
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — music
  22. toast — bread
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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