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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · wind · object · mate · field · mug · firm · stick

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — farmland
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chest — a box
  7. mate — to breed
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mug — to rob
  16. field — for sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. field — a subject
  19. mug — a face
  20. firm — a company
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — a thing
  23. firm — decided
  24. object — to protest

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