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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: pitch · chair · wound · lie · charge · chest · lean · rule

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lean — thin
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rule — government
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. rule — a law
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pitch — completely
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. charge — a price
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. chest — a box

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