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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: chest · lean · kid · vault · date · pitch · can · object

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. object — an aim
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. can — to be able to
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kid — child
  12. lean — to bend
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. can — a tin
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pitch — completely
  22. lean — thin
  23. can — a tin
  24. chest — a box

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