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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. chest — a box
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. club — a group
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rest — a break
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — for golf
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — to confront
  21. hand — in cards
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pitch — completely
  24. rest — what's left

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