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

Word bank: rest · swing · stock · pitch · chest · present

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rest — what's left
  3. present — the time now
  4. swing — music
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. present — there
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chest — of your body
  11. present — a gift
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stock — shares
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stock — goods

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