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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
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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: fan · fall · tube · pitch · chest · craft · face · roll

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fall — the season
  3. craft — a skill
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. craft — boats
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pitch — completely
  11. fall — to drop
  12. roll — a cake
  13. face — to confront
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tube — a container
  18. roll — a list
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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