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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: pitch · lie · racket · shower · cabinet · bear · stick · chair

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bear — the animal
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bear — the animal
  14. shower — to wash
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. shower — rain
  18. lie — to recline
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cabinet — ministers

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