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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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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: last · fine · arm · chest · chair · swing · cap · field

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cap — a hat
  4. fine — all right
  5. last — finally
  6. field — farmland
  7. cap — a lid
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chair — a leader
  12. field — for sport
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. swing — music
  15. last — final
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — to play on
  18. last — to go on
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fine — high quality
  24. field — a subject

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