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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: ground · chest · row · rash · kick · stand · pitch · mug

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ground — a position
  3. mug — to rob
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. pitch — completely
  11. kick — in football
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. chest — of your body
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. mug — a face
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rash — a series
  19. ground — crushed
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. row — a line
  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