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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: fine · chest · cell · net · stick · pitcher

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — after costs
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fine — all right
  14. net — for catching
  15. cell — a phone
  16. net — in sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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