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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 · bear · rule · hide · cue · chest · fan · arm

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. field — for sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — for pool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — farmland
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rule — government
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chest — a box
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rule — a law
  24. hide — to keep secret

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