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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: hide · lie · nail · file · chest · pitch · net · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — to recline
  11. file — a document
  12. net — in sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. net — for catching
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. net — after costs
  19. chest — a box
  20. file — a tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitch — completely
  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