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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: chest · fall · pitch · fan · stick · foot · calf · chip

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. chip — for betting
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. chest — of your body
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — to drop
  12. chest — of your body
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. chip — to eat
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. foot — a measure
  22. fall — the season
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitch — completely

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