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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wind — moving air
  13. net — after costs
  14. chest — of your body
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — for catching
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. coach — a trainer

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