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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: bowl · ball · chest · arm · mate · vault · pitcher · pitch

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  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. mate — a friend
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pitch — completely
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chest — a box
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bowl — a football final
  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