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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: pit · deal · trunk · rest · ground · chest · pitch · saw

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitch — completely
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. ground — the earth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. chest — of your body
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rest — a break
  15. saw — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. ground — crushed
  19. pit — a hole
  20. chest — a box
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pit — in a race
  24. deal — to handle

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