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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.

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: suit · game · pitch · capital · bass · lie · toast · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. game — wild animals
  6. suit — clothes
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lie — to recline
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. toast — bread
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitch — completely
  16. chest — a box
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. game — a match
  21. bass — the fish
  22. capital — a city
  23. game — a kind of play
  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