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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: pit · chest · field · mug · pass · lean · present · face

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. field — for sport
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — a gift
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. chest — of your body
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pit — in a race
  16. lean — thin
  17. chest — a box
  18. face — to confront
  19. field — a subject
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lean — to bend
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mug — a face
  24. field — farmland

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