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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
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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: drill · jam · fan · rest · toast · scale · field · chest

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chest — a box
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rest — a break
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. drill — a practice
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rest — what's left
  13. drill — army training
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. field — farmland
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. chest — of your body
  18. toast — bread
  19. scale — in music
  20. field — a subject
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — for sport

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