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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 124 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 · row · chest · date · fine · kick · pitch · prune

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fine — all right
  5. pitch — completely
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bank — of a river
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bank — for money
  13. date — the fruit
  14. row — a line
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — a box
  17. prune — to trim
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bank — for money
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — a sports field

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