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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: scale · pitch · stem · chest · arm · cabinet · board · kick

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. chest — a box
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stem — to come from
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. scale — in music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. board — a committee
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chest — of your body
  24. board — a flat piece

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