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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chest — of your body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. last — final
  7. net — for catching
  8. scale — in music
  9. net — in sport
  10. scale — size or range
  11. can — a tin
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. present — the time now
  14. last — to go on
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. present — there
  18. net — after costs
  19. last — finally
  20. present — a gift
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. can — to be able to
  24. chest — of your body

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