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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: chest · season · rash · lie · mark · bark · object · pitch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitch — completely
  4. object — a thing
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bark — to shout
  8. object — an aim
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mark — a trace
  12. season — in sport
  13. chest — a box
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rash — a series
  22. object — to protest
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rash — on the skin

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