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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · scale · pit · leaves · field · wave · chest · toast

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pit — in a race
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. chest — a box
  8. field — farmland
  9. pit — a hole
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — size or range
  12. toast — bread
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. field — for sport
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. sharp — clever
  22. scale — in music
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. field — a subject

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