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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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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: pass · chest · deal · chair · field · present · club · cell

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chest — a box
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. deal — to handle
  6. field — farmland
  7. club — a group
  8. present — there
  9. field — a subject
  10. pass — a permit
  11. field — for sport
  12. chest — of your body
  13. present — a gift
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. chair — a leader
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — a phone
  18. chest — of your body
  19. present — the time now
  20. cell — in biology
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. club — for golf
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. pass — to succeed

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