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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: pass · wound · cabinet · roll · chest · pitch · tear · kid

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a cake
  6. roll — a list
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. chest — a box
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. tear — to rip
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pitch — completely
  23. kid — child
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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