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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 120 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: pound · kick · rush · chest · stand · field · fine · rock

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. chest — a box
  8. field — for sport
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rush — hurry
  13. field — farmland
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. kick — in football
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. fine — all right
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pound — a weight

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