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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 120 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: pitch · object · hand · chair · stand · face · bank · bark

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. stand — to bear
  3. object — to protest
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. object — a thing
  8. hand — help
  9. face — to point toward
  10. object — an aim
  11. bank — for money
  12. chair — a leader
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. face — to confront
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stand — on your feet

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