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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 · arm · pass · staff · rock · mate · cap · toast

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rock — a stone
  8. field — a subject
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — farmland
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pass — a permit
  14. staff — employees
  15. cap — of ice
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mate — a partner
  19. field — for sport
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. toast — bread
  23. rock — music
  24. arm — part of the body

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