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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: chest · pitch · leaves · vault · stand · net · clip · plane

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. 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. pitch — a sports field
  2. net — in sport
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. pitch — completely
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stand — to bear
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. net — for catching
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. vault — a safe
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. net — after costs
  22. clip — a video
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. 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