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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: bank · club · chest · stand · perch · last · band · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. perch — the fish
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — to go on
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. club — for dancing
  10. last — final
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bank — for money
  16. chest — a box
  17. band — a ring
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — a group
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bank — for money
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. last — finally

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