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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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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: chest · racket · sharp · toast · shower · rule · pass · pitch

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. chest — a box
  9. toast — bread
  10. pass — a permit
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pitch — completely
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rule — government
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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