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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: chest · object · dip · saw · field · ground · firm · content

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. field — a subject
  3. content — the amount
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. field — for sport
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. firm — decided
  8. firm — a company
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ground — the earth
  11. field — farmland
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. saw — the tool
  14. firm — steady
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. ground — crushed
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. dip — to sink
  20. ground — a position
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. content — happy
  24. object — a thing

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