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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chest — a box
  3. bore — to tire
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. field — for sport
  7. rest — what's left
  8. club — for golf
  9. rest — a break
  10. bear — the animal
  11. last — to go on
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. last — finally
  22. field — a subject
  23. last — final
  24. coach — a trainer

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