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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: bass · board · lean · foot · kid · chest · pitch · calf

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. lean — thin
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chest — a box
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. board — to get on
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pitch — completely
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kid — child
  22. board — a committee
  23. lean — to bend
  24. kid — to tease

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