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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: key · date · chest · mouse · field · rest · lie · firm

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. firm — decided
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. firm — a company
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rest — what's left
  10. key — in music
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. firm — steady
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chest — of your body
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  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