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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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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: pitch · roll · saw · chest · ruler · row · rest · shower

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. rest — a break
  4. row — a line
  5. pitch — completely
  6. shower — to wash
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. chest — a box
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. shower — rain
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chest — of your body
  18. row — to paddle
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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