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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · arm · plane · mark · pitcher · chest · wound · key

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chest — of your body
  3. net — in sport
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. key — in music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mark — a grade
  9. key — the most important part
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. net — after costs
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. plane — a tool
  18. net — for catching
  19. wound — an injury
  20. chest — a box
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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