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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: chest · pitch · can · file · fan · stick · ruler · foot

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chest — a box
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. foot — a measure
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. file — a tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. file — a line of people
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. file — a document

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