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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: bore · hide · game · date · field · season · chest · staff

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — in sport
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — farmland
  11. staff — employees
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. staff — a stick
  16. game — wild animals
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. game — a match
  19. field — for sport
  20. staff — employees
  21. field — a subject
  22. season — of the year
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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