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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · chest · mug · object · pitch · rest · band · spell

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. spell — letters
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. mug — a face
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. spell — a short time
  9. object — a thing
  10. mug — a cup
  11. band — a ring
  12. spell — magic
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. game — a match
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. object — to protest
  20. chest — of your body
  21. band — a music group
  22. mug — to rob
  23. object — an aim
  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