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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: pitcher · rest · can · kick · ball · cabinet · chest · pit

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kick — in football
  6. chest — of your body
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — a box
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. pit — in a race
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. can — a tin

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