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

Word bank: cap · chest · rest · field · lie · mine · staff · firm

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. staff — a stick
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. firm — a company
  8. lie — to recline
  9. rest — a break
  10. firm — steady
  11. staff — employees
  12. chest — a box
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chest — of your body
  18. field — for sport
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. cap — of ice
  21. firm — decided
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — employees
  24. mine — for digging

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