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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: bank · chest · chip · scale · cell · pitch · bass · hide

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bass — low music
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bank — of a river
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bank — for money
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. scale — in music
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. chest — a box
  24. pitch — completely

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