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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: last · chest · kick · hide · rock · stand · fan · pitch

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  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. stand — to bear
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. last — finally
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. chest — a box
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rock — music
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. last — final
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. last — to go on
  19. rock — a stone
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stand — for spectators
  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