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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · pitch · chest · leaves · staff · mate · field · hand

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. chest — of your body
  7. staff — employees
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. field — for sport
  10. mate — to breed
  11. content — the amount
  12. mate — a partner
  13. hand — in cards
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. staff — employees
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chest — a box
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitch — completely
  22. content — happy
  23. hand — help
  24. leaves — to go away

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