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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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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: rock · fall · pitch · bark · hide · race · cabinet · chair

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chair — a leader
  6. fall — the season
  7. race — a contest
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — to drop
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fall — to drop
  15. race — humankind
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rock — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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