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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's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — a phone
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. squash — to crush
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. vault — a safe
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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