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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: craft · staff · wake · face · arm · ground · chest · pitch

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. staff — employees
  3. craft — a skill
  4. face — part of the head
  5. craft — boats
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — a box
  16. staff — a stick
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. chest — of your body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pitch — completely

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