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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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Word bank
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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 · hide · sharp · firm · can · scale · field · mark

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. can — a tin
  3. sharp — clever
  4. field — a subject
  5. firm — steady
  6. mark — a trace
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. mark — a grade
  10. field — for sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. can — to be able to
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. field — farmland
  18. firm — decided
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. scale — in music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. can — a tin
  23. chest — a box
  24. hide — animal skin

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