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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 120 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 · pop · pitch · firm · chair · mate · wind · swing

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. firm — decided
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. chest — of your body
  8. firm — steady
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — music
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pop — music
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitch — completely
  17. wind — moving air
  18. firm — a company
  19. pop — soda
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. chair — a professorship

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