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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: chair · field · chest · temple · mine · hide · cabinet · suit

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. suit — to fit
  7. field — farmland
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. field — for sport
  12. suit — in cards
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chest — a box
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chest — of your body
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. field — a subject
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. chair — a leader

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