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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · chest · plane · mate · rock · can · cold · nail

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitch — completely
  4. plane — a tool
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mate — a partner
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. can — a tin
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rock — music
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chest — a box
  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