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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: season · rash · cap · foot · chest · trunk · pitch · pop

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. chest — a box
  2. cap — a lid
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. season — of the year
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. season — in sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  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