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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: bank · firm · chest · straw · hand · craft · racket · pitch

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — a box
  6. firm — steady
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chest — of your body
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. craft — boats
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. craft — a skill
  13. bank — for money
  14. hand — help
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. hand — in cards
  17. firm — decided
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitch — completely
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bank — of a river
  24. firm — a company

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