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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: perch · date · coach · arm · trunk · chest · pitch · cap

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chest — of your body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. chest — a box
  8. cap — of ice
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cap — a hat
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. pitch — completely
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cap — a lid
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. perch — the fish
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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