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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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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: cap · rule · perch · racket · bound · chest · lean · pitch

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bound — tied together
  3. chest — a box
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. bound — certain
  8. cap — a hat
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chest — of your body
  13. lean — to bend
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — completely
  16. cap — of ice
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rule — government
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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