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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rash · capital · field · ruler · shower · coach · bowl

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — to wash
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. shower — rain
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rash — a series
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — for sport
  11. capital — money
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rash — hasty
  16. capital — a city
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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