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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ground — a position
  4. field — a subject
  5. chest — a box
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. field — farmland
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. vault — a safe
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ground — the earth
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — to recline
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. staff — a stick
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. staff — employees

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