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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: rule · dip · key · bound · chest · field · rush · can

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. can — a tin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. can — to be able to
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bound — obliged
  9. can — a tin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. field — for sport
  12. rule — government
  13. chest — a box
  14. rule — a law
  15. key — for a lock
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bound — certain
  18. key — in music
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — farmland
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. key — the most important part
  24. dip — to sink

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