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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: rush · capital · chest · club · pit · field · mouse · bowl

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. club — a group
  3. field — a subject
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pit — a hole
  7. field — for sport
  8. rush — hurry
  9. field — farmland
  10. capital — money
  11. club — for golf
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. capital — a city
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. club — for dancing
  23. chest — a box
  24. pit — in a race

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