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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: shower · stick · mug · chest · arm · land · net · pitch

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. net — for catching
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mug — a cup
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. net — in sport
  10. chest — of your body
  11. land — to come down
  12. mug — a face
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — a country
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — to wash
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mug — to rob
  23. land — ground
  24. shower — rain

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