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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: roll · cap · pitch · lash · bat · chest · staff · sharp

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pitch — completely
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. roll — a list
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cap — of ice
  22. chest — a box
  23. staff — employees
  24. roll — a cake

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