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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: ground · hide · pitch · net · chest · fall · band · can

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. band — a music group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. band — a ring
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fall — the season
  9. net — in sport
  10. ground — crushed
  11. net — after costs
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. ground — a position
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitch — completely
  18. ground — the earth
  19. net — for catching
  20. can — a tin
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. can — a tin

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