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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: toast · pitch · mug · chest · kid · wind · rule · jam

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. kid — child
  2. chest — of your body
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — a law
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chest — a box
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mug — a cup
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mug — a face
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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