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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: field · chest · staff · foot · firm · net · row · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chest — of your body
  3. firm — decided
  4. chest — of your body
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. field — for sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — in sport
  10. chest — a box
  11. deal — to handle
  12. field — a subject
  13. staff — employees
  14. foot — a measure
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — a company
  17. staff — a stick
  18. field — farmland
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. net — after costs

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