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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: arm · ball · lie · net · track · pitch · chip · chest

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. net — after costs
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chest — a box
  5. track — a song
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. net — for catching
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chip — to eat
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. track — a path
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — in sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. chip — for betting
  24. arm — part of the body

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