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

Word bank: chair · band · deal · pass · chest · pitch

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pitch — completely
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. deal — to handle
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. band — a ring
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. pass — a permit
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chest — a box
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chest — of your body

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