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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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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: bear · field · bowl · deal · club · chest · toast · race

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. club — for golf
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. deal — to handle
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. race — humankind
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. club — a group
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. toast — bread
  19. race — a contest
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. club — for dancing
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. field — farmland

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