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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: chest · firm · hide · pitch · shower · ball · present · fork

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. hide — animal skin
  2. present — the time now
  3. shower — rain
  4. fork — in a road
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. ball — a great time
  7. chest — of your body
  8. firm — steady
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. chest — a box
  13. present — there
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. present — a gift
  16. shower — to wash
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — a company
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitch — completely
  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