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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 120 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: rock · pitcher · chest · bark · game · suit · foot · can

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. suit — to fit
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. game — wild animals
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bark — to shout
  12. suit — in cards
  13. game — a match
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — a box
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — music
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. rock — a stone
  23. chest — of your body
  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