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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: tube · trunk · cabinet · squash · chest · pitch · arm · fall

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. chest — of your body
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. tube — a container
  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