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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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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 · tube · wind · key · leaves · pitch · temple · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chest — of your body
  7. key — in music
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. wind — moving air
  10. tube — a container
  11. chest — a box
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. object — to protest
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pitch — completely
  23. key — the most important part
  24. chest — of your body

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