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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · pitch · rest · chest · fine · fork

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. rest — a break
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rest — what's left
  5. chest — of your body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chest — a box
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. fine — all right
  18. fork — in a road

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