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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: cabinet · scale · pass · dip · chest · staff · field · bound

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. dip — to sink
  3. chest — of your body
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. scale — in music
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pass — a permit
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. staff — employees
  13. bound — obliged
  14. staff — employees
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. field — a subject
  20. chest — a box
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  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