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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · pitch · hide · calf · shower · capital · chest · fine

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. capital — money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. chest — of your body
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chest — a box
  8. fine — high quality
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a city
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitch — completely
  19. fine — all right
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sports field

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