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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 116 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: bat · trunk · pitch · firm · land · chair · kid · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rest — a break
  4. land — a country
  5. firm — a company
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. firm — steady
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. land — ground
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. land — to come down
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. kid — to tease
  21. chair — a leader
  22. bat — the animal
  23. firm — decided
  24. pitch — a sports field

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