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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. cell — in biology
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ground — crushed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. chest — of your body
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pitch — completely
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. date — the fruit
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chest — a box
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ground — a position

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