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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 120 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: tube · plane · chest · staff · court · hand · pitch · rock

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — help
  6. chest — of your body
  7. staff — employees
  8. rock — music
  9. tube — the underground
  10. court — for sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. court — of a king
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. tube — a container
  16. chest — a box
  17. court — of law
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rock — a stone
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. plane — an aircraft

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