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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 120 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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. suit — clothes
  3. field — a subject
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cell — a phone
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. suit — to fit
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. chest — a box
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. capital — a city
  15. field — for sport
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pass — a permit
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. chest — of your body
  23. suit — in cards
  24. temple — a place of worship

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