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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: wound · dip · fall · row · suit · pitcher · chair · chest

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. suit — in cards
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — to sink
  5. row — to paddle
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wound — an injury
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fall — the season
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — a leader
  24. row — a line

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