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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: staff · fork · chest · pitch · rash · fall · nail · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. staff — employees
  7. pass — a permit
  8. staff — employees
  9. chest — a box
  10. fall — to drop
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rash — a series
  24. nail — on a finger

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