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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. capital — a city
  3. field — a subject
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. toast — bread
  6. rest — a break
  7. capital — money
  8. field — farmland
  9. mark — a trace
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. date — the fruit
  14. rest — what's left
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chest — a box
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. field — for sport
  24. chest — of your body

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